Where the Roads Intersect
by Anzu Fan
Summary: 2011 ThunderCats featured. Two worlds, with two sets of heroes.  The curiosity of a villain traps the Thundercats in a world not their own.  And Mumm-Ra intends to take full advantage of the situation.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No. None, nada. Well, maybe the idea of the crossing the two over at all, but whatever.

I've always wanted to read a good crossover, but I've never really found any that appealed to me. Although the Jimmy Neutron/Fairly Odd Parents was interesting, it left something to be desired. So, to remedy this egregious issue, I've decided to throw common sense to the wind and start one.

Yes, that's several stories I should work on. No, I do not care. I'm having issues writing certain things, and college is mildly frustrating, so I'm going to write what I please. If this is met well, hurrah. If not, oh well.

I would recommend at least having a basic knowledge of both series to fully grasp what's going on. For those of you unfamiliar with one or both fandoms that are brave enough to venture on…

Sonic the Hedgehog – An anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with the ability to run at the speed of sound lives on a planet called Mobius with other similar beings. His world contains gemstones called 'Chaos Emeralds' that wield amazing energy. He is always fighting against villains like Doctor Robotnik, Doctor Finitevus, and the Iron Queen. The all-around good guy, he does his utmost to be kind and fair and just keep moving ahead with life in spite of tragedy.

ThunderCats 2011 – Anthropomorphic felines that use their variety of abilities and talents to combat evil beings such as Mumm-Ra. Led by Lion-O, the youthful and somewhat idealistic king who wields the Sword of Omens, they currently seek a way to combat the forces of Mumm-Ra. Their world is full of a variety of denizens as well.

The Sonic verse is extremely varied, and I will be using a combination of the games, cartoons, and comics; mostly the comics. Don't be hating on the mixture of canons. Warnings for this story include:

Mild fantasy violence. They'll be busting Swatbots, socking lizards, kicking the tar out of villainy in general. Nothing terribly gory that I know of yet.

The fact that it's a crossover might alarm some readers. So I'm warning you right now; _it's a crossover_. Hopefully a mildly logical one, but all the same.

I haven't read much in the Sonic verse for quite some time. I can assure you that if there are any similarities to other Sonic fanfics in this, it is accidental.

Pairings: Mainly SonicxSally – Sonamy fans, don't kill me – Lion-OxCheetaraxTygra, and several others that shall simply have to remain a surprise, mostly unrequited love. Sally is portrayed positively, although I'd like to think she's a bit more like her cartoon counterpart. No yaoi, yuri, or sexually explicit content. Y'all get some kissing every now and then, and that's it.

Starts out moving kind of quickly from one place to another. We've got to set the scene after all, don't we?

Anyway. Without further ado, welcome to the story.

* * *

><p>"<em>But do you really mean, sir….that there could be other worlds – all over the place, just round the corner – like that?"<em>

"_Nothing is more probable," said the Professor."_

'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,' C.S. Lewis

**Where the Roads Intersect**

**Chapter 1**

**Meddling With Reality is a Dangerous Hobby**

Doctor Finitevus twiddled a warp ring idly over his index finger, tossing it into the air before catching it again. It reflected the dawn's light well, winking painfully at him before it swung neatly over his finger.

Angel Island loomed far from the compound mockingly, several miles out and over the ocean, and he gazed at it with his yellow eyes, considering. To attempt to warp to the island right now, with its guardian out for his blood, would not be wise. But the Master Emerald called so temptingly this morning…

To study it again and learn more of its secrets would have been rapture. With the power of warp rings, it was as close as his fist. But Knuckles was still there, watching the gem like a hawk. Even when he left to regroup with the Freedom Fighters, somebody stood guard over it, armed to the nth. He'd only ever peeked through the rings to see, but they were always present.

The plot with Enerjak had crumbled, and it had held _so _much promise. Knuckles had been a purifying wave, obliterating echidnas and dingoes alike. Cleansing everything of technological and human taint…before Locke had an attack of conscience and decided to ruin everything. The Emerald had been free of his magic, as had Knuckles. The noble endeavor had been halted. Not without making progress, but…

And those wretched Downunda Freedom Fighters were still heckling him. While Scourge and his various aides had been nuisances as well, they at least had provided backup for when things got messy. Last he had heard, though, Scourge had landed himself in the Interweb prison, courtesy of Sonic Hedgehog. He'd taken to spying on Zone Cops lately; the variety of worlds and their respective issues did wonders for a bored mind.

To be honest, though, it made him curious. If there were indeed so many zones and versions of their world, it seemed as if there ought to be more variety. All he ever heard talk of were the various Mobiuses and their problems, though other planets were occasionally mentioned.

As he tossed the ring about, this was all on his mind. As was the idea brewing in the back of his head.

Who was to say there were only alternate Mobiuses? Had not Sonic returned from outer space with tales of aliens? What if their worlds also featured in these mirror universes, and all the worlds they would never be able to reach due to distance and energy limitations? The possibilities were exciting.

It was an unfortunate fact that Finitevus was most dangerous when he didn't have anything in particular planned.

It would take staggering amounts of Chaos Energy to fuel a ring enough to reach such a distant place. The Master Emerald could provide the boost, but that left him back at the beginning of his issue of it being guarded.

Then again, how much time would it take for a ring to absorb what it needed? And even if he did get discovered, what was the worst that could happen? Knuckles had already thrown him off the island before, and he'd survived. It would be easy to warp away if things got more violent.

His mouth crooked into a grin, and he slid the ring onto his wrist. A little mayhem might actually be entertaining.

* * *

><p>"Eleven'o'clock is when you need to review Lupe's assessment of the situation with the Felidae. Her people are trying to be tolerant, but the cultural clashes are proving extremely tense and they can't agree on when the stone can be moved for certain ceremonies. Also, we've got one group of monarchists that insist Elias should seize control and reject the role of the Council of Acorn, and they've set up signs and tents outside the castle. They demand an audience. And we need to divert a stream across the city to deal with possible fire threats, but some citizens are blatantly refusing to allow me to move their homes for the space." Nicole folded her arms behind her back, gazing expectantly. Then she lifted a finger and began fiddling with the long, black locks and beads that trailed from the back of her head. "Oh, and there's been another call for my dismantling. I've been called 'Iron Traitor' twice now and the children throw things. Just in case you wished for a <em>full<em> report."

Sally lifted her head from the desk. A pen stuck to her forehead. "Be a friend and brain me."

As a friend, the AI would never admit it out loud, but Sally looked quite terrible. Her fur was mussed, her hair was stringy from being repeatedly pulled, and she appeared to have developed a nervous tic as her eye twitched. Tapping her boot, the princess was giving the little brass lamp in the corner a serious look. She tugged the pen from her brow and tossed it over her shoulder, head slumping yet again.

"I apologize, but that goes beyond the call of duty. Besides, Elias is swamped as well." She half considered replacing the lamp with something less solid and capable of causing cranial injury, but Nicole instead settled herself beside Sally and gazed at the papers on her desk. "Damage from the Yagyu's final assault?"

"Mm. The fact that you can rebuild everything with nanites doesn't seem to set the people at ease." She rubbed her eyes and let her fingers furrow into her hair. "Do you think Ken would still take me up on that offer to be queen of the Dragon Kingdom? Because over there, people seem a lot more self-sufficient."

She didn't mean it. But with the recent complaints and shaky return to normalcy from the Iron Dominion, people were nervous and more inclined to panic, meaning a great deal of stress for those in power. Though it had been months since Sally had last dealt with duties other than leading the Freedom Fighters, the pile up of work was enough that Elias had begged her to step in and help, as the council members – save Uncle Chuck – just didn't seem to have any idea which way was up anymore. Rotor was a help, but Hamlin caused more harm than good. And the Prowers…they meant well, but going around starting mobs the way they had just seemed detrimental to the grand scheme of things. Democracy was all well and good; she hoped New Mobotropolis _could_ have such a government someday. But tearing the city apart while they were trying to fight an enemy like Robotnik was asking for a dictator.

And nobody trusted her. True, that wasn't the main point, but it certainly added to everyone's paranoia.

Nicole watched Sally bury her face in the files with distinct pity. There were days when being a super computer and being able to control vast amounts of technology with just a little binary code was a blessing indeed. Computers responded well to logic and orders; people did not. Then again, to control people as one could control a computer was wrong. Feeling a little guilty and disturbed at the idea – being branded a traitor truly messed with one's mental health, even if one happened to be an AI – Nicole touched Sally's shoulder. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Convince Sonic to go talk to the Felidae. He knows about as much about the situation as I do. And see if there's any other way to divert the water, because I really don't want suits filed against the kingdom for disregarding property rights even in a case like this. And…oh, tell the mob to vote next year about the issues! That's the nice thing, if they want a king in command they can decide on it then." The paradox was interesting. Sally threw up her hands at last and stood up, pushing her chair back. "Anything else we need to do! Solve world hunger, decrease student apathy!"

The notifications resting on her desk were swept aside, clattering thinly against the floor. Nicole watched them tumble before meeting Sally's haggard, fed-up blue eyes. Apparently paranoia was not the only issue rearing its head under all the stress. Four mugs of coffee over the past twelve hours hadn't helped. "And tell the people that think you'll betray us to get off their high horses. If we abandoned or dismantled everyone that ever made a mistake or were tricked by the enemy, I'd like to know who would be left!" she added accusingly.

With that, she covered her face, rubbing her eyelids. "…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream. I'm just…so tired." Red hair frazzled, she swept it out of her eyes and thumped back into her chair. The warm carpet was covered in her work, white paper gleaming. "And I'm mad about those people that want to shut you down. I don't even want to give them the time of day. But I have to."

"It makes you a good leader." Her arm was warm, and Sally smiled when she continued, "and I don't think it will be the end of the kingdom if you leave Lupe's message until tomorrow. The Ancient Onyx has been argued over for generations, and I really don't think that you'll be able to mend the issue by yourself, anyway."

"Sonic thinks I can." She leaned back and slid out of her seat, beginning to pick the papers. "He thinks I have some royal ability to give a heartwarming speech and rally everyone together for the good of the world. At least, that's what he says."

Nicole shook her head, gestured with an index finger, and the files zipped from the ground to Sally's arms. "Nanites. I don't know how I ever got by without them. Why don't you take a break, get some breakfast that doesn't consist of coffee. I can hold down the fort for a while."

Looking helplessly over her files and the rest of the room where more folders and shelves rested, Sally shook her head. "But there's so much I need to do. I mean, even after I finish all that, there are court cases that need an authority, and missions that need to be briefed and reviewed. And we still have-"

"Sally." Her green eyes were serene, and she held out her arms. "Give up the files. Go eat. Smell the roses."

Hesitantly, Sally finally relinquished her hold on the work in her arms. "I guess I'll just crash in the middle of something if I don't, right?"

"Like a computer." A slight grin flitted across Nicole's face. "Go take a shower, and I'll see about setting up something to eat. Review Lupe's message later, and I'll relay for the protesters to take up their issues with Hamlin. Social unrest will make his day."

Sally smiled faintly, then rubbed her eyes and tugged her bangs, examining them. "I need a haircut."

"Go get one today. I'll see about everything."

When Sally left the room, heading for her home for a quick wash, Nicole began to examine the papers she'd left behind. Most had to do with anger and fear about the government, the ended Dominion, the loss of Robotnik during the attack…the lethal computer controlling the environment…

She sighed. Flopping the pages down, she put an inky hand to her chin in thought. This had to be the third all-nighter this week Sally had pulled, and her stress levels were at crazy levels. The thing about adventuring at least was that problems could generally be dealt with by means of fighting or witty banter. But when it came to politics…bleh.

And the fact that Ken had been gone for a month couldn't help her. While Nicole wasn't exactly sure how the relationship had ended, the fact was that Sally had been close to the monkey and he had been a source of comfort and support for her. And now that he was gone, the princess was left somewhat stranded. Nicole was a friend, but she didn't wasn't quite the type that could give Sally the kind of relief Ken had.

Although…

Nicole turned on her heel and let her form flow into the nanites of the floor. She had a politically inattentive hedgehog to see about.

* * *

><p>"Judging from the angle of the sun and the way the moss is growing, and the fact that we've been traveling for three hours southwest, I have to say that we are one hundred percent lost."<p>

Panthro turned his head to look at Tygra with all the speed of a rusted machine. "Thank you for that unnecessary comment. Lion-O rides shotgun tomorrow."

Trying to look concerned, as opposed to a little thrilled, Lion-O tilted to look between the front seats, gazing ahead at the greenery. The Thundertank was excellent for plowing through the growth, but the trees before them and behind them made it hard to know they'd moved at all.

Kat leaned over too, nearly falling from his knee. "Is the Book of Omens _still_ on the fritz?" he asked. Tygra's ears lowered and he glanced back with one dark eyebrow quirked. "Because, you know, that's totally okay. Part of adventuring, right?" Kat added hastily. Lion-O subtly nudged him so that he would sit back and shut his mouth before he irritated Tygra anymore. Because an irritated Tygra was not necessarily a friendly one.

And he'd spent hours upon hours trying to make the stupid thing connect with the Tank.

Kit popped up from Cheetara's lap, gazing at the Book. "What are we going to do now? Because if we don't know where the stones are, I really wouldn't mind getting out of the forest. We've been here a long time already." With that she sat back obediently, cuddling comfortably. Cheetara was examining the foliage, scanning the perimeter as it rushed smoothly by.

"I'm with Kit. Lizards will eventually find us if we stick around." While the back seats had been a pleasant surprise when Panthro had removed the cover, for all of them to fit required some snug maneuvering. At least, for all to fit the seats exposed to the air. Nobody had wanted to stay in the back of the tank for three hours.

Not that Kit and Kat were particularly heavy, but after three hours of sitting and watching trees go by, they were all getting a little nauseous and Lion-O's leg was falling asleep.

Snarf sighed from his position by Cheetara's feet. He only had enough room to roll over and stretch a little, and the vibration of the machine was making him edgy. Lion-O shifted Kat to his other knee, wincing when his other leg starting smarting. Bad idea. Very, very bad idea. Kat slumped back crossing his arms and pressing his cheek moodily against the king's shoulder. "I'm hungry. And my tail hurts.

Fighting to keep himself from tapping his foot, Lion-O looked toward Panthro. "Think we can take a break for half an hour?"

"Sure. We all need a good stretch." He shifted the gears smoothly, and it was a wonderful sensation when the tank began to slow and ease into a stop. Snarf's relieved screech was a sentiment shared by all of them; Kat vaulted over the metal side and promptly performed a cartwheel.

"Sweet ground, how I love you!" He flopped onto his front, laying flat. "Sorry about your leg, Lion-O."

"It's okay." Would jumping jacks look really stupid? Deciding they would, Lion-O simply started walking, wincing and kicking lightly at the ground, rubbing his upper leg to increase blood flow. Tygra climbed out, giving the Book of Omens a look.

"I don't get it. I just don't." He stretched his arms, then his legs, walking in a tight circle. "The stupid thing is supposed to show us where to go, and it can't be formatted to fit the Thundertank. That, or I just can't do it," he added in afterthought. Looking surprisingly glum, he watched Panthro head around to the rear to check the wheels and the armored plating on the sides.

"Technology's a new thing to us. And you don't see any of us doing any better," Cheetara said. He didn't reply immediately, for she'd vanished in a flicker of yellow light, darting three times around the clearing. When she stopped again – along with the branches and leaves her motion had kicked up – he shrugged.

"I guess. That doesn't help us much, though." But Lion-O saw his irritation fade a little, and even though he didn't really want Tygra to feel bad, he didn't really want him smiling at Cheetara either.

_Don't be stupid. We're…all friends here. All of us. Just friends._

Thinking it helped him try to convince himself it was true. They were on the run from Mumm-Ra, trying to find a way to kill the guy; it wasn't exactly a good idea to try to start any romantic relationships. So he wouldn't think about it.

Even though he did steal glances at her sometimes. And he felt his tongue get kind of dry when she looked directly at him.

"Should we get some food out? We've got enough fruit left for five more days, and enough bread for four." Kit's was invisible but for her tail, sticking out of the hold in the back of the Thundertank for provisions.

"Sure. We'll eat a little now, but have a meal at dinner. We need to make sure we're near a town before running out." Stretching rations had been hard at first, but they were all used to it now. Tygra was mainly in charge of it, and he did a good job at it. Kit's tail rippled as she climbed out, a small satchel under her arm.

Cheetara leaned against the side of the tank, seated in the cool grass, and Lion-O debated whether or not it would be seen as more than friendly to get her share for her. That was normal, getting somebody's rations and bringing it to them, right? Friends did that for each other, right?

Whether they did or didn't, he took the piece of fruit – a pleasant, rich red – and sat down beside her. "Here."

She opened her eyes, looking a bit surprised. "Oh. Thanks. You didn't have to-"

"I know. I just…y'know." _How very eloquent._ But she gave him a slight smile and accepted it. Somewhere in the back of his head, he noticed that their paws touched when she took it.

The quiet was lovely, and the grass felt nice under their feet, like a cool carpet. For the first time that day, they could see the sun through the leaves, bright and hot. He bit into his fruit and discovered it was still good, not yet too soft. The stillness was best; the Thundertank was a blessing, but it rumbled over the ground like a huge boar, sending uncomfortable motions through all of them. But now, for a few minutes, they could sit and rest. And bend their knees further. Which he did, pulling them to his front for a second to ease their stiffness. Something warm pressed against his side, and he grinned; Snarf was pawing at his arm for a bite. He broke off a part of it and put it down.

Cheetara turned her head, and abruptly stopped chewing. "Something wrong?" Panthro had settled by the twins, allowing them each a little extra from the satchel; it was harder to let them still be hungry, given the fact that they'd spent most of their lives that way. Cheetara took one more dainty bite before getting up.

"Something's there. Watching us."

Lion-O heard Tygra taking out his pistol. "Friend or foe?"

"I don't know." She squinted, and cautiously pointed. "It's there. It looks like metal, but it's too wide to be a gun, or even a cannon."

"I see it too." Lion-O tilted his head, and felt for the claw shield at his hip. The Sword was comforting, a hefty weight. "Do you think we should check it out?"

From between the trees, it looked slick and golden around the rim, almost molten, fully as wide around as he was tall. But within the middle it looked…watery? Like a rippling reflection, distorted and wobbling. Only it wasn't reflecting trees. Instead, there seemed to be a pale, short figure within, gazing at them.

And then the wobbling gold turned abruptly black, and vanished with a sizzling crackle. A smell like decay suddenly seemed to fill the area. The kittens squealed, covering their noses as it deepened. "Yuck!"

Before Lion-O could even give the order, Cheetara and Panthro were moving. "Come on Kit, we're leaving," Cheetara said gently, voice low and soft. Kat darted to Lion-O's side, and Lion-O hefted him into the Thundertank, and then Snarf, climbing in and letting Kat grab hold of his neck. Tygra had his gun out, lowered, gazing critically at the spot where the strange substance had appeared and vanished.

"What was that? What smells so bad?" Kat sounded somewhere between nervous and curious, and Kit kept glancing toward the spot where it had been. Snarf hunkered down by their feet again, green eyes wide and glassy.

"We're not sure," Tygra said mildly, sounding as calm as Cheetara as he climbed in. Panthro shifted the gears and the tank roared to life, a comfortingly loud noise.

"Did you get the supplies?" Leave it to Panthro to be the practical one under pressure. Tygra showed him the satchel in answer, and with that Panthro put his foot to the pedal, and again trees were flashing by, green and gold and inky brown.

"Do you think it was dangerous, Cheetara?" Kit still gazed back, and Cheetara tugged at her arm until she sat down and looked at her instead, leaning on her.

It was Panthro who answered, over the purr of the engine. "We don't know, guys. And since it didn't do us any harm, we're willing to live and let live. Whatever it was."

They were all quiet for a few minutes after that, Lion-O listening for the sound of anything following. Kat looked up at him, pupils a little thinner in his anxiety.

For some reason, that made him realize that he still had half a fruit in his palm. "Here, Kat. You and Kit split the rest of this if you're still hungry. I've lost my appetite." Divvying it between them, Lion-O watched them nibble at it quietly, glancing back once or twice himself.

* * *

><p>Hot showers did wonders for her stress headaches.<p>

Sally ran her comb through her coat, using a towel to pat it dry after. The stiff teeth were pleasant and the towel soft, and it took all her will power not to flop back on her bed and start snoring.

Not that she snored. Well, maybe a little whistle every now and then…

Sliding her feet back into her boots, Sally pulled her vest on and eyed herself in her vanity. Lack of sleep was not doing the lines under her eyes any favors, but she couldn't sleep with all the work hanging over her like a guillotine. She'd have to make time for it soon, and surely everything would calm down in a few days, right? It always did. Maybe next month when the 'Forget Me Knots' were due to perform, everybody would relax. And then, she could.

If it had all been the ordinary type of problems going on, none of this would have been an issue. But frankly, Hades had broken loose.

Eggman had gone nuts, apparently regained enough sanity to break out, and escaped the city. Snively had weaseled his way out of justice again. The Iron Queen was gone, but the terror of a technology-dependent city remained. Geoffrey had apparently betrayed them. Enerjak had only months ago rampaged across the planet, and everyone still gave Knuckles looks when he came to New Mobotropolis. And of course the feline and canine tribes were still fighting like cats and…well, duh.

And of course, dealing with all that was almost preferable to trying to deal with the council and the monarchy issues, and the will of the people. It was easier to defeat a dictator than it was to please a majority of people. Make a decision, and half the city was roaring against it. Find a compromise, and somebody would take issue. It was getting to be so bad she just wanted bang her head into the wall until she passed out.

That, however, wouldn't help anybody. Including her. There was work to be done, and as princess and Freedom Fighter leader, she would see to it that it _was_.

But no work until food, or Nicole would kill her. Or make her paper dissolve into nanites. One or the other. Giving her comforter and mattress a wistful look, she fought the urge to chew her lip. Would it really be all right to answer Lupe tomorrow?

"Sally? I've arranged a brunch for you, and an escort to make sure you spend at least an hour away from anything that looks remotely like a report." Nicole's calm, pristine voice made the words seem funnier, and Sally smiled. The computer was getting good at not simply appearing in people's rooms.

"Oh really? And who is this escort?" she asked, opening the door. Though she really should have seen it coming – predicted it, really - Sally was still a little surprised to see Sonic standing there, boldly blue with his arms crossed.

"Who else, Sal? Nicole said you're running on coffee and that I must stop you lest the kingdom face the wrath of what we call, 'The Royal Meltdown.'" Extending one arm, she saw that a small bag hung from his elbow, and it smelled of pastries. "Mom made extra cinnamon rolls. And I know Uncle Chuck's sells OJ until noon."

Nicole had conveniently vanished, and Sally felt her bangs; they weren't unreasonably messy. "Homemade? With cream cheese icing?" she asked.

"And cinnamon and brown sugar."

It was hard to figure out exactly where she and Sonic stood anymore. He'd dated Fiona – but she was an evil, backstabbing, hateful, Tails-tormenting shrew. She'd sort of dated Ken – but then she'd turned him down to figure out what she had with Sonic. And after the attacks and political messes they'd been in lately, nothing in the world seemed concrete anymore.

And yet, for all his speed, Sonic never changed. Not really. And he was standing solidly in front of her, not about to run, and she finally realized that the reason he'd put the breakfast bag on his elbow was so she could take his hand. Talking to her like he always had, saying just the right thing – even if it was silly – at just the right time.

Nicole could be subtle. She'd apparently elected not to be this time. Sally shook her head and took his hand, enjoying its warmth. "How could I refuse?"

* * *

><p>Finitevus hovered somewhere between what might have been called fear and absolute, delighted fascination.<p>

That wretched pink echidna Julie-Su had been standing guard. She couldn't do much right other than fire a gun, but when she did that she did it well. His forearm was still smarting where the beam had grazed it, singeing his fur away. But he'd left with a laugh; it had taken ten seconds for the ring to charge, and take in the energy he needed for his experiment. Even now she would be fuming, calling Knuckles and his menagerie of friends, but it was all quite too late. He'd gotten the energy he needed to fiddle with his ideas, and fiddle he would.

In retrospect, perhaps it had been a bad idea to simply use his powers to charge the ring beyond its limits. Perhaps it had been a bad idea just to reach as far with the Chaos Energy as he possibly could, down in the compound's labs, alone in the dark of his unlit study. But he'd never been one for half-measures, nor had he ever been able to adequately cope with boredom.

So when the warp ring ripped open a hole and he actually saw something through it, he shuddered; pure adrenaline. Something other than a redundant Mobius was lurking on the other side.

It had taken a moment to focus beyond the rippling window, and he feared that perhaps it would simply close, too weak to form a proper connection.

And then it had cleared a little, and he had seen the most fascinating things. Cats. Bipedal, like any Mobian cat, but strange and exotic. Tall as the filthy humans. Two children, a female, and three males, all near each other and beside a gargantuan metal vehicle.

Finitevus was one for discovery, and the biology of new species and beings. But even to his thoroughly analytical eye, they were beautiful creatures, beautiful in the way most predators were. Examining them, he mentally recorded everything he saw.

The children, talking to the large, dark cat – some kind of panther? – and a tiger, replying to some of their queries. The female was spotted; perhaps some kind of leopard or cheetah? He'd have to look it up later. She was beside another, a younger male lion. Mates, perhaps? Was it some kind of pride of mix-matched cats? And what of the fat red creature beside the lion? He was feeding it; a pet, most likely, but what kind of beast was it?

Hundreds of questions. Thousands even. And all he could do was watch until the energy ran out.

Awareness flickered through their group. The female had spotted his warp ring, and alerted the rest of them, and they were looking back toward him in unease.

It would have been desperately foolish to step through the portal. Though they appeared to be eating some manner of vegetation, there was no way he could know if they were omnivorous. But they appeared similar to the Mobians in some ways, even though he could feel the stretch of space between their worlds like air in a canyon.

He wanted to cross that canyon. He wanted to examine them, to see if their world was different. Perhaps it was purer than his, purer than the people of Albion.

Putting his gloved hand to the surface, he felt the energy luring him. Like a siren's song, the vision was alluring…

_Something _black filled the image, and a heathenish odor roiled from the ring. Finitevus leaped back, startled, anger boiling in his eyes. Something was attempting to obstruct his learning.

Nobody did that and lived.

But the ring buckled, its insides writhing. Cautiously, the doctor slid another ring off his arm; though it pained him, a hasty retreat might be in order. The harsh smell was stronger now, and if he wasn't mistaken, something dark and – dare he, a practitioner of darkness, think it? – unholy was trying to come through.

The ring failed, and he fell back in the energy as its portal suddenly shut. Finitevus hit the floor and held the ring tightly in his hand, holding still as the room became calm once again in the absence of the wildly flickering light. The smell grew small, stale, but didn't entirely fade.

He sat up, looking around. Something red seemed to have crumpled on the floor, and he jolted backwards when it began to move. From under the folds of the red fabric moved two aged, cracking hands with long nails, wrists wrapped in bandages. The thing pushed itself up, and when it stood he couldn't help but cringe; its whole body was a deeply gray, almost blue tone, sickeningly old as if it had rotted in salt. The nose was crushed back and the eyes were bulbous and red, and even from here he could see just a little spittle on the aged, decrepit fangs.

It was nothing like those strange, elegant creatures. And yet, the black magic it radiated somehow fascinated him more than even their beauty. Even so, a part of him quailed at being near something so obviously…evil.

Good and evil were just terms. Purification of a species was a beneficial thing indeed. Wiping out the impure, cybernetic echidnas would have been for the best. All those thoughts came back to him, and yet he knew beyond a doubt that the first, at least, was not true.

There _wa_s evil. And some part of it was standing right in front of him.

"Greetings," Finitevus said finally. The being gazed at him, eyes dark under the foul hood. "I am Doctor Finitevus, master of warp ring technology and curses on emerald energy. May I ask your name?"

For nearly a full minute, the being simply stared at him, thin lips curling into an eerie grin. Again that part of him – probably the part that had lived before his experiments had altered him so – trembled in despair and horror, nearly wailing in fear.

"…Mumm-Ra." Rottingly soft, hissing, the name came from the back of the being's throat. "You have done something very interesting and very dangerous, Doctor. I could feel the energy you used even many miles from where you opened this hole and espied my foes."

Finitevus swallowed, trying not to sweat. "You mean those beings? The cats?"

"Indeed. Thundercats, to be precise. What led your enchanted technology to _my _world?" Mumm-Ra asked lowly, nearly laughing when the doctor glanced to the twisted, blackened ring on the floor.

"Curiosity, I suppose. A…desire to understand the unknown."

The mummified corpse smiled a little wider. "Ah, you're one of _those_. The intellects."

Finitevus wasn't sure if he ought to take that as a compliment or not. Nor was he sure if he liked it when the creature moved silently to his chair in the corner and sat in it, interlocking his delicate, dead fingers under his chin. "Tell me, Doctor Finitevus…about what opened the strange door. And tell me whether others can go through them, just as I did."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even a cinnamon roll.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Here, Kitty Kitty…Oh Shoot, I Missed**

"…Did anybody else hear that?"

Panthro looked at Wilykat, whose tail was twitching like crazy as his ears flickered. "Hear what?"

Something high, wild and distant arched into the air, the wail of some lonely creature. Kat instantly became a tuft of nearly electric fur. "That," he said, and his voice was nearly inaudible. Panthro snorted and snapped the branch he was holding.

"Probably just an animal looking for its pack. Leave it alone and it won't bother you."

The despairing cry echoed again, and Kat edged closer to Tygra, who was listening to it with an interested expression. "Um. Right." Continuing to break wood, Panthro put another scrap into the fire, moving his paw before the logs spat embers at him, crackling with sap. Something brushed again his arm, and he saw that Kit was doing the same thing as Kat, only huddling beside _him_.

He was not a warm, soft individual. He was not particularly social. But somehow, he couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "Kit, why don't you go set up with Cheetara. Get some sleep; I'm keeping watch tonight."

She looked up at him. "But you drove all day. Aren't you tired?"

"No." He wasn't. Like his tank, he was built to operate in extreme circumstances. A lifetime outside Thundera made for one tough cat. Even so, he let her clamber onto his arm and then sit on his shoulder, watching as he broke the fallen timber they'd collected.

"Are you still thinking about that weird light we saw earlier?" Her tiny feet bobbed against his arm when he moved his shoulders, snapping the wood.

"Maybe."

"Do you think it was dangerous?"

"Maybe."

"Do you think something followed us?"

"I think you need to go to bed." She leaned on his head, left arm supported like he was some kind of desk. For Panthro, who hadn't been around children in a long while – not since Tygra and Lion-O had been relatively young, and they were basically grown now – it was a strange thing to have one literally hanging on to him.

But kind of pleasant, strangely enough. It had been a long time since anyone had come to him for protection, as his scars and disposition tended to frighten people. But now he had a bundle of kids to look after.

And not just younger ones. Lion-O was talking to Cheetara, trying to get the fire to catch more on the fresh kindling, and Tygra was writing something about their supplies, obviously trying to figure out how much longer it would be until they reached a town, and whether they could count on making it in time.

Of the three, Cheetara was probably the most mature. They were all capable, but…for the love of Thundera, they were barely adults. None of them had lived out in the wild, though he knew Claudus wouldn't raise sissy boys, and clerics were trained to be nearly invincible. He was the oldest, and watching them was always interesting.

Actually, come to think of it, they weren't all technically adults. Lion-O hadn't come of age yet. Not to mention the fact that every time Cheetara touched his arm or said something in undertone, right in his ear, the kid nearly panicked.

Good grief, he'd grown out of _that _phase at fifteen.

"Seriously Kit, go to bed. You'll give me a neck ache if you don't get down." He'd finished with the wood, and the fire was a toasty height now, casting them all in shades of gold and burnt red. Snarf's eyes reflected the light like a doll's, curled around his master's ankle for warmth.

"…You'll make sure nothing bad gets us, won't you?" Her voice was small, and Panthro turned his head so he could look her in the eye.

"Kid, have you seen me? I'm the scariest thing in the forest right now. Anything that cares to disagree will have to deal with me before coming near you kids. You hear?"

She rolled her eyes and hugged his head. "You're not scary. You're big and tough, but you're not mean enough to be scary."

"You should see me on a bad day. Then you might think me scary." But there was nothing threatening at all in the way he shrugged her off and set her on the ground. "Go on, you go bunk with Cheetara. I'm going to tell the boys to get some sleep too."

Kit nodded, and he felt simultaneously irritated and oh-so-slightly touched when she hugged his arm. "G'night, Panthro."

One by one, they set up their blankets and mats a few feet from the campfire. It would have been possible to stay in the Thundertank, but the night was pleasant and the air sweet, a far cry from the strange odor from earlier. And if there was an attack, it would be easier for someone to detect being outside.

That, and sleeping inside the Thundertank was a little akin to sleeping in a giant metal cube, or a very small mine shaft. Being crammed in the seats was bad enough.

An hour, maybe two, passed slowly. Panthro had developed the virtue of patience very well over the years, and found himself content to listen to the crickets and birds, and the tiny snores of Wilykat and Wilykit.

Under the canopy of leaves and pinpricks of stars, the fire cracked and drew his attention again. The lonely wails had stopped. Perhaps the creature had found its kind. The firelight picked out shadows and glowing golden tints in everyone's coats, and the heat rushed over his arms and face.

"Have you seen anything?" Lion-O's voice surprised him a little, but he managed not to show it; the lion was lying on his front, chin atop his forearms, staring at the fire.

"No. What woke you up?"

"Nothing. I was never asleep." He rolled onto his side and sat up, shifting so he was facing Panthro. "What do you think it was?"

Panthro adjusted himself, unfolding his legs before refolding them, sitting like some chieftain before the fire with his arms resting on his knees. "I honestly have no clue. I've seen some strange things, but never anything like that. Maybe it was some kind of scouting experiment, in which case it's a good thing we got out of there as fast as we did. Whatever it was, it wasn't supposed to be there."

Lion-O put his paws back, leaning on them, shoulders relaxed from the heat and light. "Something felt wrong about it. Like…there was a hole. Like the air had been ripped up, and something was moving where it shouldn't."

Kit stretched in her sleep, and they both looked over at her. When she relaxed again, they exchanged glances. "I'm getting worried," Lion-O continued. "If we can't find the stones before Mumm-Ra, we're in trouble. The Book of Omens showed me what kind of power he has with them." He paused, and the air seemed to stir, making the grass tremble beneath the bark of the trees. "It's not pretty."

Panthro grunted. "We'll figure something out. I almost wish we could just listen for legends and gossip and look for them that way. We found the Book without the Book, and maybe we can find the stones too."

How long ago had it been when Lion-O had sparred with Tygra? Seven years, maybe six? He'd been ten, eleven? How strange it was, to see him so much older when Panthro himself felt relatively the same.

The Claw Shield beside Lion-O gleamed, and Panthro eyed it; looking at it from here, it looked too big to belong on Lion-O's arm. The king caught him looking, and tilted his head. "Something wrong?"

"Just thinking. I remember when you and Tygra were kids, and it seems like you've just grown into adults over the course of a few months. Strange how time gets away from you out here, away from civilization." He took a stick and prodded the fire, feeding the embers with fresh air and kindling.

He was still a cub, technically. Even seventeen, he was still young enough to be called a child. And he had the mind of a child, certainly. But there was something refreshing about that; he wasn't yet embittered by the world, or cynically intelligent the way Tygra was.

"What was it like? Looking for the Book. With…y'know." He looked a little backward, as if bringing up Grune had been some kind of taboo.

"Tiring sometimes, exhilarating at others. We saw a lot of the world, a lot of strange folks. Ate a lot of weird creatures, actually. There are six-legged boars out there five times my size." He laughed lowly, remembering the kill. "We ate well when we brought him down."

Lion-O's eyes had widened just a fraction. "…That big?"

"Yeah. First time I saw it I ran like a ninny. It scared even me. Grune though, he had his mace and his sense. He climbed up a tree, and when I ran by he jumped out of the branches and clobbered it in the head. Killed it instantly. I paid him back the favor later; he nearly fell into a ravine and while he was hanging off the edge of an outcrop in the cliff, I tied myself to a tree and edged my way down after him. Took three hours because I was afraid if I moved too fast I'd crack the stone and send him over the edge." He grinned. "He couldn't uncurl his fingers properly for two days."

There was silence after that, as though Lion-O wanted to ask more but wouldn't, and Panthro didn't have anything to say. Lion-O looked across the site to where his brother was, striped side rising and falling in a rhythm. "Tygra really looked up to him."

As if confessing a deeply personal secret, he said it softly. Panthro wanted to snort. "Some of their good qualities are similar. Ambition isn't a bad thing in and of itself. It's when duty is sacrificed that ambition becomes a vice." The smoke from the fire smelled good, clean and fresh. Utterly unlike burning fuels and the smoke of weaponry. "You need to sleep," Panthro added. "Why're you still awake?"

Lion-O obediently laid back down, this time on his back. His fingers tapped against each other, uneasily. "Just…stuff on my mind. That weird light. The Book. Provisions."

Checking to make sure Cheetara was asleep – she was, judging from her breathing – Panthro said in undertone, "A girl."

"Yeah. That too." It took Lion-O about three seconds to sit bolt upright and stare at him in humiliated shock. "Wait a minute-!"

Panthro put a finger to his lips, gesturing toward the sleeping forms on the blankets. Lion-O's ears laid back flat, and he said again in a whisper, "I didn't…I…you-"

"My king, if you wanted to get any more obvious you'd have to wear a sign strapped to your front." He left it at that, and Lion-O didn't say another word but rolled onto his other side so Panthro could only see his back. He nearly laughed.

Something rustled in the underbrush, far back in the trees.

Instantly, his nunchuks were in his fist and Lion-O was up, Claw Shield clamped tightly around his left arm. "Tygra."

His eyes were open, and in the flash of energy of being woken so suddenly, and the bright firelight staining his face tawny, Tygra looked somewhat wild, pupils slits. "Lizards?"

"Not sure." Cheetara was up now, in a low crouch. It was bizarre; it was as if a thread of lightning had rushed through them, a connection that had woken even the kittens.

"What do we do?" Kit asked. In answer, Cheetara moved to stand in front of her and Kat, as they fought their sleepiness that had not yet been washed in the adrenaline of a cat in the corner.

"Come out where we can see you!" Lion-O's voice was loud, clear. In it Panthro heard just a little of Claudus, just the beginnings of a belling command.

For a full minute there was silence. Birds had stopped, the insects were still. Even Snarf – who had been lying at the foot of Lion-O's blanket, perfectly asleep – sat behind his master's ankles, peeping out.

Then the leaves shook again, and this time something stepped out. Slick and almost slimy-looking, the lizard cocked his head, holding his rifle easily with both arms. "Catsss and their sssensses," he hissed, and his low voice matched the pine green glare in his eyes. Body nearly black, his cream underbelly seemed stark.

The wisps and swishes of long tails and toes forging softly through the bushes brought with them bland, yellow eyes and cuttingly gaunt jaws. Some had amphibious webbing along their fingers, some were hard like desert reptiles. All Panthro knew was that more and more kept showing themselves, and though they weren't surrounded, they were in trouble.

No fewer than four dozen pairs of eyes were watching from the black of the shaded trees.

* * *

><p>"Let me see if I understand you." The long, dead fingers toyed with the smooth gold ring appreciatively, nails clicking against the metal. "Due to some flight of fancy, you decided to see just how far you could tear a hold in the very fabric of reality, and spy on whatever you found?"<p>

Doctor Finitevus couldn't quite bring himself to look when Mumm-Ra lifted his cup of water and sipped from it. He wasn't sure why; maybe it was just too strange to imagine this corpse…monster…alien thing drinking from one of the cups he used. Not that he was worried about bacteria. Hot water and soap would fix that issue. It was just…weird to imagine dead hands holding a cup of water and drinking from it. It was messed up, somehow. "There was a little method to my madness, I assure you. But I was curious. I didn't really have any world in mind. I just wanted to see how far I could reach."

"Mm. You're either wildly bold or a little crazy. Or both." Mumm-Ra let the cup rest in his lap, turning the chair idly. From his own chair, Finitevus rather wondered why he had obeyed the creature's command to leave his study lamp off, squinting to see. Mumm-Ra seemed to hate light, though he could tolerate it, as he hadn't thrown a fit about the lights being on previously.

"I like to think myself enlightened."

"That means you're crazy, echidna. Those who fancy themselves so far above the rest usually are. But I like that. It makes things interesting." For all his shriveled eeriness, Mumm-Ra was clever, and the doctor couldn't say he liked it. But if it meant seeing that world again, along with those foreign predators, he was willing to put up with the being.

Unwise? Perhaps.

"You had no plans to attack? Just to observe?" This time, he _did_ watch Mumm-Ra drink from the cup. Surprisingly, he did it neatly, and without slurping. Not bad for a rotted corpse.

"I honestly don't know. I half expected my experiment to fail. And since there was so little chance at being able to try again, I decided to shoot for the moon, so to speak."

The gray head tilted. "Why would you be unable to try again?"

"I mentioned the emeralds, didn't I? Well, the one I used for energy is guarded, and I was most fortunate to get what I did from it. I was actually injured a bit in the scuffle." Here he showed the creature his burn, slick and red from its lack of tending. Mumm-Ra made no move toward it, nor did he even seem to look at it. His red eyes were fixed on Finitevus's face. "It's known as the Master Emerald. There are other power sources known as Chaos Emeralds, but they are never in one place very long, and most of them are unreachable due to many circumstances. The Warp Rings can't jump between worlds or dimensions without a great deal of energy."

"But if they reach the place intended, beings can be warped between them?"

"If they walk through. Obviously, the problem with bringing anyone here is that they'd have to come through, and since you seem to have a very…adverse…effect on my Warp Rings, it seems unlikely that you'll be dragging anyone back in." He wanted to analyze the charred, blackened remains of the ring on his desk, but that would have to wait. It did not take too much intelligence to guess what Mumm-Ra was thinking.

"Can people been drawn through from the other side? Say…pulled in?" Thoughtfully, Mumm-Ra stood up and set his drink down. He extended a hand, and Finitevus slowly took the ring resting in his dry palm. "I will readily admit that finding my foes has been very difficult of late. They flee my forces, and though I could personally see to them, I need them to be within range of my powers."

One index finger traced along the desiccated chin, musing. "What strange coincidence it was that your Warp Ring found them. My forces have been in the woods for days tracking them. I want the pleasure of killing them all myself…particularly the boy king. I am rid of the former king, and to kill the last lion of royal blood would leave them leaderless…"

Finitevus thought back to the cats he'd seen. The lion had been the one beside the woman, feeding the pet. _He _was a threat? Fascinating. "Well, I've no idea if you can force them through from this side. I suppose you simply want to bring them here and destroy them before they know what is going on?"

"Precisely. I'll not have any of this posturing some are inclined towards; there's plenty of time if one gloats over a dead body." Mumm-Ra began to pace, light and thin as a stick. "Don't think I'll leave you no reward if you assist in this. You can have the bodies to dissect at your leisure."

He was mostly intrigued by such an idea, but he would have been lying if he had said the thought of those beautiful creatures lying dead in his lab didn't make him feel…a little sick. "So quick to think up a plan. Aren't you a little concerned that perhaps your forces have done away with them already? Or perhaps I'd betray you."

Mumm-Ra's teeth glittered with the water he'd drunk, and Finitevus felt his stomach roll. "My forces are incompetent. And you're too afraid to betray me. This is an unforeseen opportunity to deal with all my foes in one chaos-ridden blow."

Chaos. Finitevus raised a hand. "You forget that I would need massive amounts of power to open the ring again. Or do you presume to go take the energy from the Master Emerald yourself?"

"Neither." The crooked, demonic grin made him realize again that dealing with this creature was like signing a death warrant. "I shall use my _magic _to fuel it. It shall not be a Warp Ring, but black hole to suck them through the cold and dark, into my waiting hands."

The ring in his hand suddenly felt cold, and the doctor wanted to drop it. A faint hissing, a whisper, a dead leaf dragging across stone – these were what the strange chant spilling from Mumm-Ra sounded like. The darkness of his study suddenly seemed blacker, thick as tar, filling his lungs and nose and heart.

This…was a bad idea.

A little pity for the cats rose inside him; they would be dead within five minutes.

* * *

><p>The sword in his palm danced with light, heavy like a familiar toy. With the flat of the blade he struck a lizard in the head, knocking it senseless.<p>

Too many. Panthro was behind him, guarding his back, but the creatures kept coming. Some had guns clenched in their claws, others simply had clubs, but for every one he stabbed or smashed in the head another leaped forward, darting toward him and the others.

Cheetara's bo staff was singing, whirling and cracking helmets and bones. He felt the gust of air generated by it and heard a lizard curse in a rocky language; Kit and Kat had hit him in the eye with well-aimed pebbles, and were dancing almost playfully out of reach.

"What do we do?" he asked, loud enough that Panthro could hear him over the screeches of the lizards being brained by the heavy nunchuks. Over his shoulder, the cat growled.

"Try to clear a path to the Thundertank. It'll make short work of them, if we can only get in."

But the lizards weren't fools; even as Tygra fired, pistol flashing with hot light, they were circling in, making it harder and harder to move and aim without turning his back to one with a knife. Lion-O heard Snarf squeal – one of them had him by the tail, squiring in midair with an axe to his belly.

For some reason, that didn't scare Lion-O. It just made him really, really freaking mad. Before the lizard could commit the grisly deed, Lion-O had jumped on his back, snarling, and hit him in the back of his armored head with the hilt of the Sword of Omens.

It groaned and slumped, fist releasing Snarf's tail. Nearly hysterical, Snarf fled to his master, and Lion-O gathered him up under one arm, sword still out. "There's no way we can beat them all!" Cheetara shouted, jabbing a bellowing chameleon in the gullet. He croaked and tumbled over, and she used the gap to reach him, whirling around to face the oncoming foes.

Warm fur bumped against his side, and he turned to see Tygra, still leveling the gun at about eye level. "Got any bright ideas, Your Highness?" he asked, more harried than sarcastic.

"I'm…I'm thinking." Snarf trembled against his hip, and he carefully lowered him, air suddenly slow and quiet as the lizards prowled around them. The creatures had surrounded them, just as they had when Panthro had come in the Tank, rolling to the rescue. Only this time, Panthro was trapped with them, and the smell of lizard spittle and sweat was nearly suffocating. Just the four of them, plus a terrified Snarf, curled around his leg.

Wait a minute. "Where are-!"

With a thunderous bang, the Thundertank roared to life, and the cannon in the front flared white hot with energy. The lizards scattered, screaming for their lives as they fled, but it fired twice, shaking the ground. The few brave enough to stand hissed. "Stay and fight! It can't kill all of us!"

Tygra fired, hitting two in the arms and another in the stomach. They began to stumble over the burnt soil, back into the trees, back away from the still remains of two of their number that simply hadn't been fast enough. The air was hot, and Lion-O lowered his sword, staring after the fleeing enemy.

Panthro, on the other hand, was staring at the Thundertank. "What…?"

Wilykat popped up from behind the controls, and Wilykit jumped out of the passenger seat where she'd been hiding. "We just…fried them!" she yelled. Swaying on her quivering knees, she appeared dizzy, and her ears were slick with sweat from her forehead. Kat too looked dazed, staring at the two lizards the blasts had hit.

Cheetara picked up Kit and hid her face. Tiny spasms shook the kitten, and Lion-O found himself and Tygra heading to Kat, whose pupils were dilated to an almost unhealthy size. "I…I didn't…I mean…they were gonna…"

"It's okay, kid. You saved our lives." Tygra – showing a more paternal side than Lion-O had ever seen – picked Kat up and held him, letting him hide his face against the side of his neck. "I think I shot them anyway. They were going to die no matter what." Kat's arms were tight around Tygra's neck, and his ears were down, clamped against his head. Lion-O lifted one eyebrow, as if to ask, "Really?" Tygra narrowed his eyes and shrugged his free shoulder.

Panthro stooped next to the bodies. His eyes widened a bit, and he shook his head. "You know what? Kat, you hit the stunners."

"Th-The what?" Kit's nose was running, nearly as shell-shocked as Kat. Lion-O wanted to step in front of the bodies; the kids couldn't handle it. _Shouldn't_ have to handle it. They hadn't really killed the lizards, not really. Not on purpose…

With one clawed foot, Panthro kicked the side of one of the limp lizards. For three seconds, there was an utter, thick silence. And then, the thing moaned, and his tail twisted. The other twitched, open eyes glassy and blinking slowly. "The cannon's controls are automatically set to a lower level, in case of accidental firing. I have to manually up the power if I'm fighting against their technological warriors. If the charges are set low enough, an indirect hit won't kill a healthy lizard."

Kat and Kit both looked at the lizards, and Kit abruptly began to bawl, nearly losing her head entirely with relief. Cheetara leaned against the Tank, rocking her. "It's okay, sweetie, it's okay…"

Tygra watched the lizards in silence, and Lion-O – in spite of himself – couldn't help but feel a light-headed rush; even if they were the enemy, some of the lizards were misguided. And for Kat and Kit to have killed them, even accidentally, would have been something that might have driven them crazy. Kat's little chest was heaving, pupils gradually contracting. "I gotta toss my cookies."

Tygra let him down, gently, and Lion-O patted his back as he doubled over and puked. He vaguely remembered having a bug when he was eleven and barfing into a bucket. He'd been so embarrassed, getting sick in front of his father and Jaga and Tygra, but nothing had made him feel better than when Claudus had put a comforting paw on his back and swept his mane out of his face. And then Jaga had made some soup, and Tygra had told he'd never seen anybody that size barf so much. Which had kind of made him laugh for some reason.

Kat finished, spitting and looking red in the eyes. Again with that gentle, paternal strength, Tygra picked him up and sort of rocked him, back and forth. "It's okay Kat. Everything's okay," Lion-O said quietly.

"Snarrrrf…"

Lion-O picked Snarf up again, feeling him quiver and trying not to emulate him; the lizards had found them. In spite of the distance they'd traveled, Mumm-Ra's servants had caught up to them. Their machinery moved quickly, and their numbers were staggering. When he got down to it, there just didn't seem to be any way to shake them, and six Thundercats – and Snarf – weren't enough to take on hundreds of them at a time. Not in the tired, shaken condition they were in.

"I'll check the Thundertank. We need to get moving before they come back with reinforcements." Panthro gave the lizards on the ground a disinterested, scathing sort of glance, and then climbed onto the side of the machine, opening a side panel and examining the strange workings within.

Kit's face was wet and kind of a mess, but she scrubbed at her eyes, mouth puckering. "I smell that weird smell again."

Kat lifted his head, and Lion-O was relieved to see that color was returning to the flesh under his fur. "Me too."

"Snar-snarf!" Snarf's tail coiled around his forearm, and the creature buried his face against Lion-O's abdomen. The odor _was _back; rotten and decayed and unwholesome. Lion-O felt Snarf's fur rising, like a paranoid cotton ball, and he felt a sneeze coming on.

The air cracked, like something huge and hard had been snapped in two, a thunderous clap echoing through the suddenly dark and looming trees. He yelled, and Snarf squealed in pain; his ears were more sensitive than any of theirs. But the pain in his eardrums from the noise soon distracted him. They pounded, needles of agony pricking at his mind.

Kat's paws were clamped tight over his head. "Ow! What was that!" Tygra was holding his forehead, Kat still held close in the other arm. His eyelids flickered with the pain.

There was a nervous, electrified energy rushing through them again. "Get in the Thundertank!" Panthro ordered, climbing off the side and replacing the paneling. He alone seemed able to function properly with his ears aching. Cheetara had nearly fallen, arms full with Kit, who'd curled in on herself, tears of angry pain coming to the corners of her eyes. But rather than hold her head, Cheetara was staring across the clearing.

"Forget the Tank! RUN!"

Panthro opened his mouth – forgetting the Thundertank would have been the equivalent of him forgetting his firstborn child – but when he caught sight of what had so frightened Cheetara, he shut it.

Another weird, rippling wall of light had appeared. But its rim was black, curling ash and crackling with some dark power. Rather than the eerie, pale light from before, this was rapidly darkening and howling with wind. The trees shook, and Lion-O looked down, disturbed; leaves along the ground were being pulled by small gusts toward the opening. Its core was violet, but…it seemed to go on forever, spinning like a whirlpool.

He managed to take one step back before the world cracked again, like lightning had ripped into Third Earth's core. And like he was a piece of metal and there was a magnet inside the dark hole, he felt _something_ – energy, a wave of weight – pull at him, dragging him forward. By instinct he ducked down and jabbed his claws into the dirt, fingers splayed wide. But it was so…inexorable. He was too light, and whatever it was would not be denied.

"LION-O!" Tygra was a good twenty pounds heavier than he was, but he too was sliding forward, dragged by the pressure. "What's it doing!"

How should he know? Before he could answer, his hold on the ground came loose.

If he had let go of Snarf, he might have been able to grab hold again. Instead, when he felt himself being pulled into the air, Snarf screaming like a banshee, he curled himself around the fur ball and held his breath.

"Lion-O!" Cheetara shrieked his name once, and then he felt the cold of the strange energy envelop him entirely.

_Pain_. He'd held his breath out of some childish wonder if perhaps the whirling vortex might in fact be like water. But he couldn't even dream of breathing; from every side, every inch, he was screaming in pain, fur standing on end and every muscle taut. Snarf curled and uncurled, thrashing in his own agony.

Another cry broke against him, and he opened his eyes. In the black, contorting darkness, he could see Tygra and Kat; they'd been pulled in too. He'd never seen his brother lose it – Tygra roared, eyes wild with fury, and Kat was frantically clawing at the air, twisting and turning.

Higher pitched screams. Cheetara and Kit, both trapped in the icy agony as well. _Please,_ Lion-O thought hazily, half musing and half praying, _make it stop, make it stop, I can't bear it if all of them die here too…_

The vortex shook when Panthro entered, roaring with a fury that would have made even his father nervous. And then there was the feeling of rushing, of being pulled so far and fast that his lungs would rupture-

* * *

><p>Finitevus held his hands over his head. The pressure in the room, the spear like cold, was going to make his glasses shatter right on the end of his nose.<p>

Mumm-Ra's chant was a pagan frenzy, a diabolical heathen's cry. Fast, furious, he stared into the black ring, quickly melting under the acidic, demonic energy.

His own black magic was child's play compared to this madman's. What had he been thinking?

Distant screams were coming through, like wails from the other side of a waterfall. The ring was rippling, unable to handle the distortions and the unfamiliar power. Once or twice, it flickered – would it vanish? Would they be trapped in limbo until they suffocated or died from sensory overload? He felt nausea churning inside him.

He didn't want them to die. Mumm-Ra's face was full of wicked glee, but something inside Finitevus – a part of him that he hadn't realized still survived, the doctor from long ago, before power had…enlightened him – was shaking, buckling under the weight of the energy.

And then, Mumm-Ra screamed in horrified hatred, and the portal abruptly shut, nearly bursting his eardrums. The room went black, dark as midnight, and Finitevus shut his eyes, waiting for his vision to adjust, heart hammering.

When he finally opened his eyes, Mumm-Ra was sitting on the floor, shaking and cursing in some ancient tongue. "What…happened?

"The Eye even now does not acknowledge its master! Instead it heeds the cry of that foul cub! A pox on it for its traitorous acts!" None of this made any sense, and Finitevus was afraid to ask him to clarify, so instead he offered the creature a hand. Mumm-Ra waved it away, standing on his own, letting his red cloak drift down and cover his trembling, bony limbs. "It flashed with light and interrupted my spell, just before I had the cub's throat between my hands. I…lost the ring."

"No matter." It wouldn't do to irritate the furious being. "I have more to pull them out of the area between the worlds."

Mumm-Ra shook his head. "They have reached this world. And I do not have the strength to do that again. Even if I did, the Eye of Thundera would react in the same way." An ugly, cruel leer marked the dry mouth. "You spoke well when you said our worlds are very far apart indeed."

Finitevus' mind rapidly clicked in short thoughts, trying to understand. "So…they may be anywhere on the planet?"

"Anywhere. I cannot tell where my magic would have thrown them. Your technology is strange, and does not mesh well with my powers."

It took a great deal of intelligence and self-control for Finitevus not to respond with, "Duh. I told you so."

* * *

><p>"Okay. Um…I spy-"<p>

"The castle."

"Darnit Sal, at least let me say it!"

Sonic wasn't any good at this game. He had the poker face of a five-year-old, and could lie as well as one. Sally just smiled and took a long draught from her carton of orange juice. Then she leaned back, letting her head rest on his shoulder. The paper wrap from the pastries had long ago been cleared of cinnamon goodness.

Sitting under one of the oaks in the village in the shade, enjoying a late breakfast, with his girl beside him. Add a chili dog or two and it'd be just plain perfect. Well, and clear up the weird relationship issues they'd both been having. Other than that, it was great.

There was still an anxious vibe to the air; the Iron Queen hadn't been kicked out all that long ago, and people were fidgety about machinery. But with the pleasant homes and serene grass and blue sky, it was hard to feel threatened. The castle was bright, and the sun was brighter.

Sally was nearly asleep, which made her guessing ability really impressive. Her eyes were hooded, and when Sonic swept her hair out of her eyes she didn't open them any wider when she glanced at him. "Sal, you should get some sleep. I mean, a nap isn't going to kill anybody."

She stretched, and he stroked her hair like he used to, feeling a little self-conscious about the whole thing. "Mm. Maybe you're right. Hope you don't mind if I use you as a pillow."

"Nah." Once again, he wondered how they'd gotten here. From best friends to dating to broken up to…whatever they were. Sometimes they just acted like the old days, when everybody – including themselves – knew they were nuts about each other and just wouldn't say it. And then there were times like this that they were so close that it was like they were back in the time where they'd finally admitted how they felt, and couldn't be parted. He didn't know what he had with her, and he didn't want to ask. Didn't want to risk losing whatever it was.

The sunlight that beamed between the leaves above was pleasant, and the warmth was starting to make him doze, too. Lucky for him he didn't have a shift at Uncle Chuck's until tomorrow. It was kind of funny, worrying about a part time job now. Then again, being a Freedom Fighter was a career in and of itself.

"Sonic." Wow, he didn't even twitch when Nicole materialized out of nowhere. He was getting used to it. "There's trouble."

Sonic glanced down at Sally. "Always at the most opportune moment. What's up?" Carefully, he slid himself out from under her and rested her head on the grass. Sally opened her eyes, but didn't lift herself into a sitting position.

"I detected…well, it felt like an explosion. My scanners picked up about two seconds' worth of Chaos Energy and something else."

Sally lifted her head, rubbing her eyes absently. Sonic was stretching his legs. "'Something else' meaning…?"

"I've no idea. It felt like magic. You know, like what Naugus or Finitevus would use. Only worse, if that's possible." She crossed her arms. "There's been no attack, but I'm nervous. I don't want to alarm everybody and have it just turn out to be some experiment of Knuckles'. Would you and Bunnie go check it out, Sonic? I'll display the coordinates."

He straightened and glanced down as she formed a holographic map. Past the walls and shields, past their homes and city boundaries, a tiny dot blipped. "Great Forest?"

"Yes. Approximately three miles outside New Mobotropolis' borders. Bunnie will meet you at the entrance to the city." She turned on her heel and vanished in a flicker of green light. Sally sighed.

"Just when you start to relax, something else turns up."

"Sing it sister." He extended his hand and pulled her daintily to her feet. "Be back in a bit, Sal. Whatever it is, me'n Bunnie can handle it."

He was gone in a blue blur before she could open her mouth to say, "Be careful."

It took about a minute and a half to bring Bunnie up to speed and reach the edge of the forest, dashing over the plains. The smells of pine and spicy tree bark were nice, and funnily enough he didn't smell any exhaust or smoke. So that ruled out Eggman or the Iron Queen. "I head in first, you act as back-up?"

Bunnie removed her hat, listening intently. "Don't do anything reckless, Sugah-hog."

"I'm insulted." He put a gloved hand to his chest as if wounded as he jogged forward over the soft earth, cooling in the shade. "As if I've ever been 'reckless.'" She followed without a sound, metallic feet muffled by the soil. "Helloooo?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Anybody out there?"

"Sugah, when ah said 'reckless…'" Bunnie began. But she stopped abruptly, and Sonic glanced back at her. She had one ear straight up, cocking her head slightly.

"What's up?" She put her organic index finger to her lips, a soft motion as she turned.

"I thought I heard somebody. They sounded hurt."

Sonic started moving in the direction she'd gestured, wracking his brain for anybody that might live in this part of the Great Forest. No one came to mind. It wasn't unheard of for Eggman's bots to come this near, and Espio had told him the nut had started designing robots that could actually feel fear before being destroyed. Or perhaps the Dark Legion had come in for some late morning pummeling. Nicole had seen Lien-Da get blasted by the Iron Queen, and Dimitri was with them, but that didn't mean some other leader hadn't risen up and taken command.

He pushed the shrubs in his way aside, and he heard Bunnie crunching twigs as she followed. This time, he heard it too, faintly – a low groan, almost a growl.

Moving slower, more stealthily, Sonic pushed more branches aside. The trees had grown dense, and the bushes were high. Peering between them, he squinted in the lower light.

"Bunnie? None of the Felidae were due to come up here, were they?"

"No. Not that ah'm aware of." Sonic pushed right between the branches, and she lost sight of him for just a second.

"Whoa. Bunnie, get over here." He couldn't help but sound a little awed; right in front of him, sprawled over an enormous oak's roots, was the biggest cat he'd ever seen in his life. He was darkly furred, a good foot taller than Big, and considerably less benign-looking. He had scars over his arms and front, and a mean set of spikes on his shoulders. Sonic felt a little nervous, noticing his hands. They were clawed, and near him was a set of nunchuks that might have weighed almost as much as he did. "This guy's huge!"

"Sugah-hog, he ain't alone. Look!" Bunnie was crouched further on, and Sonic kept one eye on the massive cat as he edged around to reach her. Another cat – quite a bit smaller, but still huge compared to the average Mobian – was lying on his front. He was heavily armored, but Bunnie and Sonic managed to turn him over and arrange him a little more comfortably on the forest floor. Bunnie whistled. "I'm a coyote girl myself, but he's a fine-looking tiger."

"Don't let 'Twan hear you say that." Sonic guessed he was good looking – he was never any good at figuring out that sort of thing – if stripes were one's thing. He had a gun on his hip, and what looked like a whip beside it. "Think we should confiscate their weapons, just in case?"

"Ah suppose so. No way of knowing if they're friendly or not. There's another over there," she added, pointing to a place between two more trees. "Oh mah stars, they're kids!"

Sonic removed the weaponry from the tiger and then managed to lug the nunchuks away from the bigger cat. Not like he'd need them to do serious damage anyway. "Are they okay?"

"They're breathing." They were large too for kids, the height of a fully grown Mobian. A boy and a girl, probably siblings. "Sally-girl, we've got some cats down out here. Unconscious. Yeah, out like lights. No, they don't look like Felidae. They're as big, though. Send out some of the Castle Acorn guards to transport them back. There's kids, too."

As she talked on the communicator, feeling the kittens' foreheads and checking their pulses, Sonic scanned the area, looking for more of the weird felines. A path of gold caught his eye, and he bounded over the gnarled roots of two trees. Like Bunnie, he whistled. "Wow. Talk about pretty felines."

The woman was sprawled on her side, some kind of spotted cat. Cautiously, he settled her on her back, putting two fingers to her wrist. A pulse met his touch, slow but stable. Her eyelids seemed to flicker, but when he spoke she didn't reply. "Don't let Sally-girl hear you say that," Bunnie said archly, lowering her communicator to slide it back into her jacket pocket.

"Oh, you can notice a cute tiger, but if I notice a pretty girl, I'm a sleaze?"

"Oh Sugah, I'm teasing. Ah know you're a good guy. What ah _don't _know is where all these cats came from, or what's wrong with them." She counted them silently, finger pointing at each one in turn. "So we've got…five cats, two of them kids."

"Six." Sonic had spotted another and had clambered back to his feet. "All alive so far, right?"

"Let's hope this one is as lucky." He was a lion from the looks of it. He seemed a little younger than the tiger and cheetah, and Bunnie checked his pulse warily. Relief spread across her face. "Six for six, all stable."

"And armed. Is that a sword?" Sonic gently lifted his left arm, examining the odd gauntlet on it and the hilt of a blade extending from it.

Bunnie yelped, and Sonic immediately saw why; the lion had opened his eyes, and bared his teeth. "He's awake!"

But something was wrong; he looked sick and dizzy, and he couldn't move right. Sonic felt him trying to free his arm, but even though he all but opened his fingers, the lion couldn't move away. "Dude, relax. We're not going to hurt you." Sonic touched his elbow, and felt his wrist bump against the sword. The lion eyed him, pupils suddenly a little less crazy looking.

"…If you were evil, it would hurt you. I guess you're good." Whatever that meant, it seemed to set the lion at ease. Perhaps too much so; he slumped, passing out again.

Bunnie stared at him, then raised her head to look at Sonic. "What in the world was that about?"

Sonic shrugged, and carefully slid the gauntlet off the lion's arm. "Sheesh, this thing's heavy. Didja get the staff from the girl?"

"Yeah, and Sally-girl's sending some guards to help carry them back. Doctor Quack's ready and waiting, and ah think Nicole actually modified an infirmary for them."

"Cool. I just hope they're friendly." Sonic began carrying the golden hunk of metal and sword toward the other weapons. "Because if they're not, they won't appreciate us fixing them up just for us to beat them back down."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No, nary a bit.

To those who review, I'm very grateful; I've just been so busy at school that I've quite forgotten to respond to some. I appreciate each one though. Enjoy the latest chapter.

**Chapter 3**

**That's What Ya Get For Waking Up…In New Mobotropolis?**

Lion-O didn't immediately realize he was awake. It didn't feel like he was lying on a blanket, camped out by a fire, and it didn't feel like he was in the Thundertank, so he honestly wasn't sure _where _he was. For a very sleepy, addled minute, he felt like he was back in Thundera, in his own bed.

It hurt when he remembered that Thundera was gone and his father wouldn't be coming in to tell him that just because he was a teenager didn't mean he got to sleep all day. But there was a warm comforter around him, and his muscles felt slow and relaxed. It was a far cry from the pain that had driven him into convulsive fits in that…that…dark.

He noticed little things as he lay there, not moving and unable to open his eyes. Birds outside, muffled by the walls. The smell of strangers, odd animals. The comforter around him, and the fact that he was hungry. Soft footsteps, louder and louder as someone paced in the building. The sound of a door opening.

"…Two days is kind of a long time, Sal. You think there are any internal injuries Doc missed?"

"No, Dr. Quack would have caught anything with his scans and let us know. They'll wake up when they wake up."

Two unfamiliar voices, a man and a woman. They'd entered the room speaking in undertone. Lion-O's befuddled thoughts suddenly annoyed him, and he moved a little, trying to open his eyes.

"Hey. I think he's awake! Our timing's amazing." There was a slight weight beside him, as if someone had seated themselves on the bed. "Dude, can you hear me? Anything painful or numb?"

Opening his eyes a little too fast, Lion-O blinked three times, lifting a paw to his head. It was hard to focus…ever since that horrible pain and cold that knocked him senseless…

He forgot about it upon seeing the figure sitting on the bed.

It was a little bizarre; three feet tall, skinny, blue, spiny, and he wore gloves and strange red footwear. His eyes seemed just a bit suspicious, narrowed and green. Shorter than Drifter, he was just…weird. Lion-O stared, and then tried to sit up.

Not only had he been in a bed, but his armor and admittedly grungy clothing had been removed and replaced with a clean white shirt and pants. The cotton cloth felt nice against his fur. The blue creature hopped up, watching him as he pushed aside the blankets. "Where…am I…?" He also wanted to ask, "What are you?" but opted for the more polite, "_Who_ are you?" It was hard to talk, as if his jaw wasn't awake.

"The name is Sonic. Sonic Hedgehog. World renowned for my speed and heroism. This lovely lady is Sally Acorn, princess of the Republic of Acorn. And you're in the city of New Mobotropolis, to answer your first question." None of the names were familiar, and his face must have shown it for Sonic looked at the girl Lion-O had previously not noticed. She was sitting a few feet away in a chair, and she too wore weird footwear, only blue. He found it a little odd that she only wore a jacket, but then again, Sonic had no clothes on whatsoever. Maybe it was a cultural thing. Or maybe their fur was thicker. "Mind telling us how you and your buddies ended up in the Great Forest?"

"Sonic, don't be rude. He just woke up." Sonic shrugged, as if to ask, "What did I say?" but Lion-O didn't answer; he tried to stand up, and found that his legs wouldn't support him. Buckling, he had to sit back down, holding his head as the room tilted and a shiver rocked through his spine and shoulders. "Careful! You've been out for the past two days," she said, blue eyes flicking to his trembling arms. Funny enough, she had red hair and brown fur, kind of like his.

He was strangely shaky, as if he'd come in from the cold and his body hadn't realized it was warm yet. Lion-O tried to keep himself steady. "Where are my friends? Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara? And Wilykit and Wilykat?"

"They're all in separate rooms in this building. All of them are okay; you're the first to wake up." Sally's voice was gentle, and Lion-O – in spite of the fact that he wasn't sure he could believe her – felt his panic ebb. Sonic was staring at him, one eyebrow arched high.

"…You've got a tiger named 'Tygra' and a panther named 'Panthro?' What would that make you, Lion-Guy?"

"Lion-O," he corrected without thinking. Sonic bit his lip and glanced at the ceiling, and Sally got up and glared at him.

"What?"

"You are being rude. Quit it." Somehow, Lion-O got the idea Sonic thought their names funny.

"Oh come on, it'd be like naming a kid 'Squirrel-A' or 'Hedgehog-O!'" Apparently he'd been right.

"As if 'Sonic' is much better. It's probably a cultural thing, and I wouldn't blame him for getting offended with you acting like this!" She crossed her arms and Lion-O took the opportunity to look around the room.

It was pleasant and clean, and by his bed there was a small dresser with a lamp on it. There was a carpet down, woven and red, and the walls were painted beige. Trying yet again to stand up, this time Lion-O managed to support his own weight, wavering a little. The two stopped bickering to look at him. "Wait…the Sword and the Claw Shield…where are _they_?"

"If you mean the big metal gauntlet thing and the really shrimpy sword inside, they're under security. No offense, but we were afraid you'd turn out being hostile, so we confiscated your weapons."

Lion-O rubbed one eye, trying to wake up. "I think I remember. It didn't hurt you?"

Sonic's face was blank. "Uh…no. Should it have?"

"If you're serving evil you can't touch it. If it let you remove it, you must not be helping Mumm-Ra." He eyed Sonic carefully for a sign of recognition. No such luck; the hedgehog quirked an eyebrow again.

"'Mumm-Ra?' Sounds like some kind of bandage brand or something. We'll return your weapons later, but don't worry; they're totally safe where they are. Did you want to check up on your friends?"

Lion-O debated arguing about the weapons, but he could barely form sentences as it was. And if he kicked up a fuss about it he'd never get them back. "Yes. I…thank you, for helping us." The memory of falling through the vortex was coming back, and he shuddered; he'd seen Mumm-Ra for just an instant, reaching for him while he was paralyzed with pain. If the Eye of Thundera hadn't reacted when it had, doing whatever it did, they'd be dead.

"No prob, it's what we do. If you're hungry, we'll see what Doc says to give you guys." If what they said was true, apparently he'd been unconscious for two days, so all of a sudden being really hungry made sense. "Sal, you want to go tell Doc that _Lion-O_ is awake?"

Sally seemed surprised. "You're faster; I thought I'd show him how the others are. Though that might be against doctor's orders, actually."

Sonic tapped a foot and one ear seemed to drop back in discomfort. "I'd rather do that."

"Sonic. It's fine. You'll be back in two minutes, tops. He's only at the Castle, finishing Daddy's checkup."

Both ears lowered. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Nicole's around, and so are guards. And he seems perfectly trustworthy," she added in undertone, so low that Lion-O nearly didn't catch it.

"I know. I just…y'know. I worry. And remember, Snively seemed okay too-"

"Sonic, go on. This is different." He obeyed, but Lion-O felt his eyes glancing back at him as the hedgehog trotted out the door. "I'm sorry. Everyone's been a little skittish lately." He didn't reply for a second, feeling a sudden gust of air ruffle his fur; bewildered, he shook his head.

"It's fine. I understand how he feels." Some random person twice his height appearing and Cheetara showing him around…yeah, he wouldn't react well in a similar situation either. "Um, where did you say we were, again?"

"New Mobotropolis, of the Republic of Acorn. Are you of the Felidae, by any chance?"

His blank expression must have answered her, for she put a finger to her temple in thought. "Where are you guys from, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Thundera, originally. But we've been around a bit lately, ever since it got destroyed." Perhaps they were on the other side of the planet? Mumm-Ra and news of his conquests may not have traveled so far. And weird foreigners would make more sense if they were so far away. Sally didn't seem to recognize the name; maybe they used different names for the kingdoms and lands around here?

It took a minute for him to convince her he could walk well enough to follow her and check on the others. She stepped out the door and waited for him, letting him look about the clean, long hall – it was wood paneled, and smelled of cedar – before gesturing for him follow as she proceeded to the next door. "The tiger's in here – Tygra, did you say?"

Lion-O nodded, noticing the room looked the same as his. On the bed against the wall, Tygra looked thin and tired without his armor, clothed in the same clean garments as he. He lay on his side, and his brow looked relaxed and untroubled. Lion-O sighed with relief; he was breathing easily, and looked perfectly fine. "We don't know when he'll wake up. Doctor Quack said IVs weren't necessary just yet, and we're monitoring you guys constantly, but if he and the others don't wake up we'll see about extra medical attention. You all just seemed to be in a really deep sleep."

Sally let him check Tygra's pulse and put his paw against his forehead, just to see for himself. Steady and normal, respectively. Somebody had even tucked the comforter around him properly.

Panthro was in the next room, and he looked very much the same. His bed was larger, and his breathing deeper, but though he didn't stir he seemed comfortable. Lion-O thought back to the horrifying pain and icy cold and thought it seemed very much like a nightmare now, a mere dream. But his shoulders twitched at the memory.

Kit and Kat, fittingly enough, were in separate beds in the same room. Kat twitched in his sleep, as if dreaming, and Kit had kicked off her blankets and was lying flat on her stomach. The sight made his eyes sting with relief, and Sally was silent as she let him settle Kit on her back and wrap her in the blanket more comfortably. "Are they relatives? Or friends?"

"They're twins. We're not related to them, but we're all kind of like family." She seemed to understand, and she closed the door after him as they stepped out.

"Oh, Princess. Another of the cats just woke up." Lion-O blinked down at the tiny woman in front of him; she'd just stepped in from the door beside this one in the hall, and seemed to be some kind of woodchuck or something. Her bun was gray and her dress was blue, and she looked him up and down. "The cheetah. She's asking about the others."

Cheetara. She was awake too. The elderly woman stepped aside to let him enter, Sally following him as she continued, "She's all right, but understandably upset."

When she caught sight of him, Cheetara visibly sagged with relief; she'd been sitting up, trying to stand, and trembling when she tried to push herself up with her arms. "Just sit back. Trust me, I nearly fell over," Lion-O said, stepping carefully across the room to sit beside her at the foot of the bed. She was dressed in a long nightgown, and she seemed interested by the loose, draping fabric.

"…Where are we?" she asked slowly. Blinking several times, Cheetara looked around the room before fixing her gaze on him.

"Someplace called 'New Mobotropolis.' And don't ask me where that is, I just woke up too." To see alert, attentive Cheetara move so slowly perturbed him. She seemed quite unhurt, but the fact that they were among strangers suddenly made him warier. They hadn't done anything questionable yet, but still.

Even so, he noticed that Cheetara's hair looked neat, as if somebody had combed it out. She'd obviously been well taken care of.

"That…pain. Is that why I'm so…disoriented?" She put a paw to her forehead, pushing her blond bangs back.

"I guess. Is anything hurting right now?" Cheetara shook her head and leaned back against the pillow again. "Everybody else is still asleep. We're the first to wake up, but they all look okay." Lion-O felt suddenly like he was forgetting something, but his head throbbed and he couldn't focus well enough to dwell on it.

Glancing around the room again, Cheetara's brow darkened dangerously; she sat up and shifted herself bit by bit until her feet slid over the edge of the bed and her toes touched the ground. She got to her feet, standing for a few moments. Lion-O jumped up as her knees bent and caught her, letting her hang onto him as she tried to stay up. "Cheetara, just sit down. I'm barely able to walk even now. I promise, they're all okay." She looked so tired and wan that he didn't even notice as her arms wound around his neck for support, almost intimately close.

Cheetara nodded, and, unsure she quite understood what he said, Lion-O set her back down on the mattress. "Let me worry about them for right now. They're all going to be fine."

He heard a slight sigh from the door. "To be young…they look sweet together, don't they?" His ears reddened; he'd forgotten Sally and the woodchuck. The latter had made the comment, Sally half hiding her face in embarrassment.

"I-we're not – I mean-"

The woodchuck blushed and tittered, putting a hand to her mouth. "Sorry dear. I'm a romantic at heart. I'm Rosie, by the way. I've been looking after her and the children, so don't worry your pretty head about them. Sonic is back with Dr. Quack, if you wouldn't mind him checking you over."

Reluctantly he left the room, watching as Cheetara settled back among the sheets wearily. It consoled him to know that if Cheetara needed help, he'd hear her immediately. And tear the door down. But the woodchuck trotted past him and began speaking to her soothingly, with all the threat of a sleeping kitten. Lion-O scratched his head as Sally shut the door; what exactly was he forgetting? It was hard to think, but-

It hit him, and his jaw dropped. "Snarf!"

Sonic had been standing just outside the room, and he gave Lion-O a pitying shake of the head. "Lion-Guy, if that's a curse word where you come from, you guys have more problems with lingo than I thought."

* * *

><p>Julie-Su fingered her gun, glancing up and around the area as the Emerald behind her glowed soothingly. Finitevus hadn't come back – the smell of his burnt fur had pleased her more vindictive side – but she still kept smacking herself. He shouldn't have been able to get so close. She should have been watching the Master Emerald more closely, they should have moved the island further away, should've-<p>

Focus. Calm down. She inhaled and then exhaled, slow and careful. Knuckles would be back with the Chaotix soon. Hopefully they'd have found the white echidna and stopped him from doing whatever it was he'd planned on doing with a super-charged ring. At least, if he was back in Sandopolis. The fact that Knuckles hadn't been mad at her – rather, he nonverbally fussed over her, making sure she wasn't hurt – was enough to set her slightly at ease.

Destroying Finitevus' things in Sandopolis had been a tricky business. More of it kept disappearing, and they were doing their utmost to find all the nooks and crannies where he'd hidden all his questionable experiments to get rid of them. Since Mighty had up and gone and Ray had left with him, she and Espio took turns guarding the Master Emerald on the ventures. Since it had been Finitevus that had led to Locke's death – as they told Knuckles time and again – they felt Knuckles should be the one who got to smash everything belonging to him.

But there was no guarantee they'd find the madman there. Even if he was going there and returning to the compounds of Downunda, he was clever enough to avoid them.

A slight, flapping noise broke her nearly meditative quiet. She looked up, fur bristling at the sight of a large, black, ugly bat as it headed overhead. Ugh, bats. Mobian ones were bad enough, but a flying rat? Yuck.

Its eyes glittered red, and she frowned, feeling her heart speed up as it landed clumsily in front of her. Slim strands of gauze fluttered from its wings, but she found no pity for the tangled creature. Standing four feet from the Emerald, Julie-Su glanced back at its shining surface. She lifted her pistol and aimed at the grotesque little head.

"Shoo. Go on. I'm not in the mood to deal with you." Rather than take off again in fear, the creature gazed at her.

And then, it opened its tiny, needle-sharp mouth. "Permit Finitevus to power up more rings, and I won't harm you."

Julie-Su stared, the little beast looking black as oil on the sweet, cool grass, crouched on its wings. It spoke with a dry, soft voice, malevolently gentle. "Wh-No! N-NO! Who are you!" she demanded. It tilted its head, lips splitting in a grin.

Violet light exploded out of its throat, a huge bullet of crackling brilliance. When it hit, she couldn't scream; every pore felt like bleeding, but immediately senselessness followed the agony. It was almost a gift as she lost all feeling in her body and collapsed, crumpling onto the soil and greenery.

Somehow, she stayed conscious. Somehow, in spite of the deadness of her limbs and the weight of her eyelids, she stayed awake. She couldn't lift her head an inch, but she heard the sounds of cracking bones, and the pleasant hum of a Warp Ring.

"If the Guardian returns before I charge the rings, we're dead. Even you might not be able to handle him when he calls on the power of the Emerald." Finitevus' oily as glass voice made her angry in the back of her head, muscles burning. She heard his cloak drape over the ground, and something with a slower, more shuffling step moved as well. Trapped on her side, she could only stare at the grass, wondering who was with him.

"I daresay I could handle him. But hurry and get the energy you require," the bat's voice spoke, pausing. Something about it made her feel sick. "Why I don't kill her now is beyond me."

"He'd know in an instant if that happened. Let's not incur his wrath so quickly. Not before we call your forces." The Emerald sang a low, sweet note as its energy poured into the Warp Rings. Helpless with rage, Julie-Su tried to twitch a centimeter, failing miserably. "Done. All we have to do now is locate them, and I'll send your squads to their location."

"Indeed." The sound of a cloak being pulled up, high into the air and full of cold wind, made her shudder; thirty seconds and Finitevus had the Chaos Energy he wanted? Who was with him? How had this _happened_? "Return quickly." The same snapping of bones, and suddenly leathery flesh was beating the air.

Julie-Su couldn't bring herself to move, even when she heard Finitevus step back through the Warp Ring. Her body was beginning to feel again, the numbness giving way to pain like needles all over her flesh. She hissed, and finally shut her eyes.

_What has that lunatic _done?

* * *

><p>Sonic didn't know what to think of this Lion-Guy so far.<p>

He hadn't done anything to warrant dislike. He seemed okay, and even though he had claws that made Omega's fingers look well-manicured, he hadn't made a violent move toward anybody. The lion seemed kind of bemused about something, watching all of them while Dr. Quack examined him. And other than asking questions that seemed kind of obvious – such as, "That thing lets you hear my heart?" and, "Why the heck are you shining that light in my eye?" – he seemed smart enough.

It wasn't the fact that the guy was two feet taller than he was that made him uneasy. Or better built, though Sonic considered that more a matter of opinion. No, it was just the little fact that Sal seemed to be warming up to the guy as the minutes ticked by.

Not in a more than friendly way, he had to admit. Sally was just being helpful and courteous, and since she'd been raised all proper and whatnot, that was just dandy. Sonic just kept an eye on Lion-O; Khan had just gotten out of the picture, and though he didn't think the lion would have a thing for Sally, he wasn't willing to let some crush develop. He and Sally had _finally _sort of become almost-kind-of normal, and that was not going to alter.

Call him paranoid. He had to admit to himself that he wasn't being fair; Lion-O seemed perfectly friendly, if quite upset.

"Are you sure you didn't see him? He should have come through with the rest of us. Four legs, long tail, red fur…kind of chubby? Squalls a lot? Repeats his name over and over?"

Sonic shook his head. "Look buddy, we found you and the other cats out in the Great Forest. I didn't see a Smurf out there."

"Snarf."

"Right, 'Snarf.' Sorry. Maybe he woke up and panicked and ran off before we got there?" Lion-O's brows were troubled, and in spite of himself Sonic wracked his brain for any memory of a fat red creature. Nothing came to mind except for some of the chao at the garden. And the fact that if his own Muttski were missing, he would be upset too. So, against his better judgment, he said, "I'll ask around the city about him. It's been two days, and he probably made his way into the city trying to find you guys and something to eat. You said he's pretty smart, right?"

"Yeah. Smart enough to understand what I'm saying and reply…only he does it by saying his name a lot and meowing. He's never been on his own in the wild." He then said, "Ow," because Dr. Quack was taking a blood sample. "I'll go with you; he might not respond to a stranger."

"No you won't." Dr. Quack was a kind soul, but his one good eye flared. "You and your friends arrive here unconscious and even now you can't walk right. I can't believe somebody actually let you up for a minute." He glanced at Sally accusingly, who lifted her hands.

"What was I supposed to do? 'No, I'm sorry, you can't see your injured friends or even sit up.'" He grunted, and poked one feathery finger into Lion-O's side.

"Move from that bed before I give the okay, and I'll make sure you _can't_. Nobody listens anymore and what happens? Ligaments tear, battles end horribly…" he continued, tucking the sample away along with his stethoscope. At his glare – made somewhat frightening by his eye patch – Lion-O meekly climbed back into bed, looking sullen about it.

Sonic glanced at Sally. "I'll be back. Shouldn't take too long to find a red…whatever it is."

"Thank you, Sonic." Not for the first time, Sonic wondered how old this guy was; he was so tall it was silly compared to a Mobian, but he seemed very young all the same. Almost certainly he was younger than his own eighteen years. He waved the gratitude aside.

"No sweat. Be back in a bit."

That was how he ended up wandering the city, calling, "Snarf! Snarf, here boy!" and attracting strange looks.

Well, he probably did look kind of crazy. It only took four minutes of awkward looks before he began trying to think of another way to do this. "Hang on. Nicole!"

It took about a minute for her to materialize. "Yes, Sonic?" She looked surprised and uneasy. She too had attracted glances as she rose up out of the grass, in the shade of the Castle of Acorn. Sonic scanned the area, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun, trying to ignore the less benign eyes focusing on Nicole.

"Can you me a favor? The cats are waking up, and one of them is missing a 'Snarf.' Four legs, red, about yea big." At this he held out his arms as if to hold an overlarge basketball. "We're hoping he would have found his way into the city looking for his friends and something to eat. I was hoping you could scan for anything like him."

Nicole didn't answer but pivoted, eyes going green as she processed the information. "A pet, I take it?"

"Uh-huh. Lion-O's really upset about it. That's the lion. And apparently the tiger's named Tygra, and the panther is Panthro." He was gratified to see that she stopped scanning to glance at him in disbelief. "I know, right? Sally said it was probably a cultural thing, little diplomat she is."

After she started scanning again, Nicole didn't speak for a full three minutes. But just as Sonic was beginning to get impatient – admittedly, he needed to work on that particular virtue – she stopped again. "I've found something in the garbage by Uncle Chuck's diner. Its vital signs don't quite match anything I've encountered."

He blinked. "You can find stuff in the garbage?"

"Everything's composed of nanites, Sonic," she said softly, beginning to vanish. "And I control them. I'm trying to avoid the general public right now, so if that's all…"

"Sure. Thanks!" By the time she was gone in a flash of green, computerized light, he was dashing for the diner, enjoying the surprised looks on people's faces and the roar of the wind as he pelted off at about eighty miles an hour.

Sally would no doubt find out where these guys came from, and Dr. Quack would figure out what was wrong with them. It had been an interesting occurrence, but nothing out of the ordinary. So Sonic wasn't sure why he felt so strange about everything. Something weird was going to happen, and he felt like he was just waiting for it.

Sort of like he was about to run a race, and he was waiting for a gunshot.

He halted perfectly in front of Uncle Chuck's diner, letting the cool wind catch up to him and fan his spines out. A few of the regular patrons waved at him and he waved back, striding casually toward the side of the building. Uncle Chuck was visible through the cool glass but he didn't look up. Since he'd joined the Council of Acorn it was getting rarer to see him there, kept busy with debate and politics. So it was always nice to see him in the kitchens simmering a pot of seasoned chili.

Well, something had definitely been in the garbage. The usually organized cans were on their sides, litter and unfinished food scattered over the ground. Sonic wrinkled his nose at the smell of some the older wrappers and got down in an easy crouch. "Snarf? Here boy. You back here?"

Something rustled behind the cans. "Come on little guy. I won't hurt you; I'm here to take you to Lion-O. Come on out, I'll get you something fresh to eat." The sound of teeny tiny claws plinked against the metal bins and he saw one roll an inch as the creature moved.

"And who says I can trust you?" The voice was a bit squeaky, and if a tone could sound fluffy, this did, raspy with suspicion. Sonic blinked; hadn't Lion-O said it didn't talk, exactly?

Alien transmitter in his head. He smacked himself in the forehead. It translated for Muttski and other non-Mobians, why not for whatever this little guy was? "Because a fresh chili dog tastes a whole lot better than the day old leftovers of one. And Lion-O is really worried about you."

Snarf's head poked up from behind the can, and the first thing Sonic noticed – other than the freaking huge ears – was the pale green eyes narrowed at him. A tiny tuft of gold fur on its head and the creamy face weren't exactly what he'd been expecting. Even a masculine guy like Sonic couldn't help but notice the fur ball was, well…cute. Bleh. "And how am I to know you haven't locked Master up somewhere?"

Sonic didn't really have an answer for that, and in the time it took him to think of something to say, Snarf hissed, fur lifting along his back. "Nobody hurts Master and gets away with it! Let me tell you, I may be small but I'm tough! If you've hurt him or the others, I'll go all kinds of crazy on you!"

Sonic held up his hands defensively. He decided not to call out the fact that Snarf was shaking like a leaf, peeping out at him from behind the trash can. "Calm down. I don't deal well with hysterics. Lion-O and the others are perfectly safe. If I'm lying to you, I'll lay down and let you chew my ears off. Deal?"

The little beast clambered on top of the can, and his tail lashed as he considered, tilting his head. "I'm hardly in a position to make you keep that promise. Why'd you take away Master and his friends' weapons if you're good?"

"You saw that?"

"I watched from the bushes. I couldn't wake Master up, and I was sick and dizzy. I thought I'd be more use if I spied on you. But you moved too fast, and I couldn't walk right. I only got into the city yesterday." He was accustomed to Muttski's speech in third person, with sentences that occasionally seemed choppy. Other than the occasional, mewling "snarf," he spoke pretty clearly.

"We weren't sure you guys were friendly. I mean, let's face it, your friends are big carnivores from our point of view. But we've been looking after them for two days. I told Lion-O I'd come look for you because our Doc wants to make sure he's okay." A thought occurred to him and he grinned. "Besides, how would I know your name unless Lion-O told me?"

"You seem clever. You might have heard him say it." But the distrust was fading and Snarf was looking increasingly tired, ears flopping over his back. "…Do you promise you haven't hurt my friends?"

"Totally."

Snarf sighed. "I guess I'm lost anyhow. I don't have any idea where Master and the others are; some spy I turned out to be."

"Ah, don't worry. I've never been that good at the spy gig myself." Sonic held his arms out. "Come on, I'll carry you. I move fast."

Claws plinking and clattering, Snarf hopped off and glanced around sheepishly. "I kinda made a mess."

"Don't worry, I'll clean it up later. Right now we need to get you back to Lion-O before he has a coronary." He grunted, picking up the stout little pet and feeling a little bad for him as Snarf quivered. Even with the extra weight it was easy to throw himself in a loping run, Snarf's ears flying up as he sped by the diner, the streets, and some of the buildings, heading back toward Nicole's makeshift infirmary.

Perhaps he should have warned Snarf about his speed a little better. By the time he stopped in front of the cozy building, Snarf was a ball of electric hair, tail twitching. "Wh-What the heck w-was th-that! Y-You're _fast_."

"Little guy, you have no idea." Guilt poked his insides as he set Snarf down and opened the front door. "Door farthest down to your right." With a swift, brisk shake, Snarf darted in, pelting for the room. He nearly ran headlong into Doctor Quack's webbed feet, but the duck managed to hop in time to avoid him.

"Goodness! Is that what the young man was talking about?" Sonic nodded and Doctor Quack glanced after the bouncing red body. "Interesting little specimen. Miss Rosie says the others are showing signs of waking."

"Cool. I'll check up with you in a sec," Sonic said, ear tilting at the sound of Sally's surprised yelp. He crossed the wood floor and poked his head into the room.

Snarf was chattering so fast that even with his alien transmitter Sonic missed half of what he was saying. He had jumped onto the bed and was now nestled against Lion-O, forelegs around his neck. "You'reokayyou'reokayI'msogladyou'reokay! MasterIcouldn'tfindyouandyouwouldn'twakeupandIstartedfreakingout-andIcouldn'tfindyouandyoushouldn'thavetriedtoprotectme!"

Lion-O was grinning and hugging Snarf like a kid hugged a teddy bear. He rubbed affectionately between Snarf's ears, and said, "I missed you too, buddy. You doing okay?"

"I'm hungry and I probably smell like garbage." Snarf's matter-of-fact reply struck him as funny, and Sonic glanced over at Sally, who was watching with a pleased expression.

"I take it this is Snarf, then?" she asked. Lion-O nodded and Snarf rolled in his arms as if expecting a tummy scratch. Lion-O was covered in blankets from the waist down, and Snarf rubbed his chin against the fabric, tiny paws in the air.

"Yeah. I think he's been in the garbage. Sorry about that." Sonic wondered if Lion-O understood everything Snarf said; Sally obviously didn't get a word, but Lion-O had only said he got most of it when Snarf talked. But before he could say anything – or Snarf could proceed babbling again – the sound of Doctor Quack's barking voice drew their attention.

"Young man, you need to sit back down immediately! You just woke up, and if you fall now you might do yourself some serious damage!"

A low, deep voice responded, and Sonic tilted his head. "Where are the others? And just what _are_ you?"

Lion-O perked up, and Snarf meowed in a pleased fashion. "Tygra? You okay?"

Strong, swift footsteps resonated outside the door, and it opened a little quick. Sonic bounced out of the way, and immediately had to look up; the tiger had entered, and he was a lot more impressive when he was conscious. Taller than Lion-O by several inches and more muscular, he stood more steadily. In spite of himself, Sonic felt his skin crawl when he saw his claws. They were long, slender, sharp. But he didn't look threatening. He just stared into the room, eyes darting over each of them and finally settling on Lion-O.

"Fine. What about you?" This time his glances were suspicious, and he crossed the room and sat down beside the shorter cat.

"I'm okay. Kind of dizzy, but okay. Cheetara's awake too, but Miss Rosie is looking after her." Obviously the woodchuck's name didn't have any impact on the tiger, for he started looking Lion-O over, even going so far as to start looking through his hair, examining his head for blood or welts. Lion-O made a face and batted his hands away. "Calm down, Tygra. What's with you?"

"We wake up among strangers after going through some bizarre evil hole in the air and passing out from agony. I've no idea why I'm on edge." The sarcasm was sharp, and Sonic noted that he started looking through Lion-O's hair again, a little harder this time.

"Tygra, they're okay. I mean, they haven't hurt me. Quit it." Again Lion-O made the tiger stop, giving him a look. "Sonic, Princess Sally? Dr. Quack? This is my brother, Tygra. Sorry he's being a jerk."

The doctor was standing just outside the door, tapping a webbed foot against the ground. Sally, for once, seemed a little nervous as she said, "We understand. Anybody would be a little…anxious. And just Sally, please. Dr. Quack, we'll watch them. Thank you." The duck tossed his hands in the air and waddled away from the door, muttering about kids who didn't listen.

"'Evil hole in the air'?" Sonic frowned. That had stuck out to him. "You guys came through a portal? What kind?"

Tygra looked from Sally to him. Unlike Lion-O who seemed more curious than anything, Sonic could see intellect and mistrust in this cat. "No idea. It went black and sucked us in. What is this place?"

Lion-O elbowed him. "Sheesh, be a little ruder why don't you?" Tygra elbowed him back and Sonic saw Lion-O scowl, rubbing his side where the bone had dug in.

"New Mobotropolis, of the Republic of Acorn. Then again, I don't think you've heard of us, which is kind of weird." Sonic glanced between the two, noticing no familiarity with the name. "I mean, we're only the biggest Mobian government on the planet for Pete's sake."

"Well, we haven't heard of Thundera," Sally reprimanded gently. She stared hard at Snarf for a minute. "You say you fell through some kind of portal to get here?" This question was directed to Lion-O and Tygra, rather than the fuzzy creature.

Lion-O nodded, absently stroking Snarf's ears. "It pulled us in. It was really weird; we've never seen anything like it."

"And you've never heard of the Republic of Acorn?"

"No."

"What about Angel Island? Or Chaos Emeralds?"

"…No."

"Robotnik? Or the Iron Dominion? What about Space Colony ARK?"

"…What's a 'Robotnik'?"

Sonic knew the look on Sally's face. It was her thinking look, her, "I'm probably going to tell you guys something you're not going to believe," look. "And we've never heard of Thundera, or anything else you've mentioned like Mumm-Ra."

Tygra had an expression similar to Sally's amidst his guarded, furtive motions. Sonic and Lion-O's gazes met and they shrugged; whatever was going on in their heads was unknown to both of them. "Have you heard of the Sand Sea? Or Thundrillium? What about the lizard armies?"

Sally shook her head and began to pace, putting her hands behind her back. "It seems kind of impossible for you guys not to have heard of Robotnik. And if Mumm-Ra is a big deal, it seems weird for us not to have heard of him. Robotnik is the worst dictator on Mobius."

Tygra stared at her. "…'Mobius'?"

"The planet," Sonic said helpfully. He also managed to bite his tongue and not add, "Duh."

Blue eyes met brown, and Sonic felt left out of some kind of understanding. Lion-O kept looking between the two as well, still scratching Snarf's belly. "You guys want to share your epiphany with the class?"

"Our planet is called Third Earth, all over the world. Nowhere have we ever called it 'Mobius,'" Tygra said quietly. "And we've never heard of Mobians." In the thick, awkward silence that followed his statement, everybody tried to mentally digest this. Lion-O stopped stroking Snarf, who obviously hadn't been listening very hard to the conversation.

"And this planet is called Mobius wherever you go. I've heard it called 'Earth' only once; never 'Third Earth.'" Sally's voice sounded a little weak, a bit bewildered. She sat down on the foot of Lion-O's bed and buried her fingers in her bangs. "Sonic, do you think Nicole would mind coming here for a minute?"

Snarf looked from each pale, confused face before finally glaring at Sonic. Apparently refusing to pet him made him fussy. "What's wrong with everybody?"

"You guys seem to be from another world, alien cat pet," was what he meant to say. But all he could manage was, "This is getting weirder and weirder."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No. Ugh, so many plot bunnies, so little time. Characters are coming together, and battles are on the horizon.

**Chapter 4**

**I Don't Think We're on Third Earth Anymore…**

* * *

><p>Snarf was a relatively simple creature. He like food, warmth, naps in the sunshine, listening to Master talk about tech ideas. He also liked sitting in Master's lap and being scratched between the ears.<p>

He also liked chili dogs. Like, a lot. Something about meat sauce, cheese, bread, and what Sonic called a hot dog all coming together was just…right.

There were many things he didn't like as well. He didn't like baths, large bugs, or spiky floors. He didn't like being too hot or too cold. He also didn't like purple-faced bad guys who tried to skewer Master, even if Master _had _been a bit of a dingaling that day. He also didn't like Tygra being snarky with Master, though he liked Tygra himself well enough.

He also didn't like it when Master was upset like he was now.

"It doesn't make any sense. How did we end up here? We've seen other planets in the sky, but none of the astronomers have ever heard of Mo-buss." Tilting his head back to look at Master, Snarf licked his lips free of the sauce.

"Mobius. And I've done interplanetary travel, so trust me when I say no matter how nuts it sounds, it's possible." Sonic had been true to his word and gotten him something to eat – namely a fresh chili dog. The hedgehog was a nice guy; he'd even cut it into bite-sized pieces and put it in a bowl so he didn't have to try to tear it apart himself. He was pacing back and forth in the room, footsteps fast.

It had taken another two hours for the rest of the cats to rouse themselves, and it had been quite interesting to see the kittens lumber into the room like they'd been spun around for an hour and expected to walk a straight line. Wobbling, tripping, they'd finally clambered onto Master's bed. Both of them were shaky, perhaps remnants of the shock of nearly killing those lizards and going through that horrible hole. At any rate, both of them had bundled up against him, Kat wedging himself between the lion and Tygra's side as the tiger stood by the mattress. Kit had no compunctions about simply crawling into Master's lap and going back to sleep, leaning on his front like he was a pillow. Snarf didn't blame her; Master was comfy and nice, and never shoved one off while they were taking a nap unless lives were at stake. He was absently stroking her head, watching the hedgehog.

Cheetara had gotten her mobility back as quickly as Tygra. She spoke little, but the woodchuck woman that had escorted her in holding her elbow chattered to her. "…And don't you worry honey, I'll find some hot cocoa. Nothing is quite so nice as hot cocoa when you're shivery. Oh, and a blanket, that'll help. Wilykit seems snug as she is," she added. Cheetara smiled, and Master averted his gaze, looking a little pink. The cheetah settled herself at the foot of his bed and the woodchuck scuttled back out of the room.

Snarf wondered for a minute why everyone congregated in Master's room. Things like that had been happening more often lately. Hm.

It got really crowded when Panthro woke up and stuck his head in the door. "Everybody else is seeing these weird creatures too, right?" At their nods, he'd sat down on the floor and buried his face in one paw. "I'll let you know when my head stops spinning." The Mobians had brought them up to speed – even Kit, who was grumpy at Master nudging her awake.

"You've got methods of space travel?" Tygra asked, watching Sonic with skepticism. The hedgehog missed the element of disbelief.

"Naw, I stopped an alien machine from vaporizing the planet and the resulting implosion blew me halfway across the galaxy. There's some space travel stuff on Mobius, but nothing real fancy yet. Well, Overlanders have some, but still, nothing super-duper sophisticated." Tygra stared as if he wasn't sure whether Sonic was joking or not. Snarf couldn't quite understand all the big words. The hedgehog paused, chewing his lip. "But…with _Warp Rings_ anything's possible. Or Star Posts, maybe. Alternate dimensions, other planets, past and future…seriously, they're dangerous if you amp up the energy in them. Maybe that's what it was."

Master was watching the blue hedgehog bob back and forth. "Do they turn black and smell bad?"

Sonic frowned. "No…the rings are golden and kind of pretty, actually. Warp rings are constructed to transport people large distances. They take a lot of energy if you're going really far. But if it looked black and creepy, that's not normal."

Snarf nibbled at a piece of hot dog and licked his claws. "We saw a gold thingy before that, though," he said idly, ears perking forward.

Sally glanced at him, but Sonic stopped moving. "Really? Pretty, shimmery?"

"Yeah." Snarf rubbed his clean claws through his face fur to clean it better of the strange, meaty sauce Sonic called "chili." Lovely stuff. "And we saw someone through it, too. He was white with dark eyes. He had yellow irises, though. They were pretty."

"Did he have a creepy cape on? Little glasses on his nose?" Sonic stooped, and Snarf appreciated that; only Master had ever bent over to talk to him, and this was kind of nice.

"Yeah. He just stared at us and then the ring went dark and vanished. Then the whole place smelled funny. And when the black ring appeared we saw Mumm-Ra, so I guess he met up with that weird guy."

Sonic appeared to be about to reply, but Tygra interrupted. "Can you understand him?" he asked, pointing at Snarf. Master too looked stunned, and Snarf looked up at the spiny blue creature.

"Hey, he's right. How _can_ you understand me?" He'd been nattering at this guy all this time and he hadn't realized it. Wow, when Snarf was hungry he was slow.

Sonic tapped his ear. "I've got an alien transmitter in my brain. Fused with my nervous system, so now I get to listen to non-bipeds talk too. But my bizarre ability aside, it sounds like Doctor Finitevus."

Kat was hanging on to Tygra's arm. "Who's that? Why was he looking at us?"

"Crazy dude who used to be a part of echidna society but got souped up on Emerald energy and started using black magic. He builds Warp Rings that run off Chaos Energy, but unfortunately he also happens to have gone nuts and evil, hence the magic." Sonic shrugged. "We're still not sure on all the details. People around here are kind of weird."

"He'd get along with Mumm-Ra." Cheetara had been listening carefully, and Sally tilted her head, sitting in one of the bedside chairs. "Would he help evil incarnate?"

"I dunno. He likes to think he's some brilliant guy who sees the big picture, but he's just a nutty bad guy." Sonic, it seemed, worked in black and white. Snarf was liking this guy more and more. "Anybody who kills off half a clan of dingoes just because of their 'tainted' technology is a bad guy. If Nicole would get here we might be able to call up Knux, see if he's heard anything from Finitevus."

Master mouthed, "Knux?" to his brother, but Tygra shook his head. "Why would he have been watching us? He was spying on us earlier that day."

Sonic managed to stop pacing again, tapping his foot. "I don't know. Maybe he didn't mean to. We don't know what he's up to since his last appearance. And again, see 'crazy' comment."

On the word "appearance," something rather astonishing happened. Right in the middle of the room, a brown lynx clothed in a simple purple gown materialized in a flash of green light. "Sonic, I love to help, really, but I can't always come at the drop of a – oh. Hello."

Snarf was too full to flip out properly, but Kat had puffed up in shock, and Master had jumped a little, nearly dislodging Kit. The other three cats didn't move too much, but surprise reflected in their faces. "Ah. Greetings. My name is Nicole. I am an AI nanite construct and steward of New Mobotropolis. Um…" she paused, looking around. "It's a little crowded in here."

Sonic had been pacing in a five foot space. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Nicole, we're thinking Finitevus is behind this, and wanted to give Knuckles a call. I hate to bother you, but since you used to be Sally's communicator and all…"

"Not at all. Let me just check and see if he has a transmitter on him. If he does, I can bring up a hologram image." Her eyes went completely green, and she grew still and silent. Snarf stared at her openly.

"What the heck is an AI?" Master asked this, looking uneasy at the sight of her blank green eyes.

"Artificial intelligence. Good ole Nicole is technically a robot, but she's got a personality and everything." At this, Master looked intrigued.

"A robot? But she looks normal. And she talked like she was surprised."

Sally responded this time, watching the dark-haired lynx continue in silence. "That body is constructed out of very tiny robots, microscopic. Not that you could tell if you touched her; she's totally real in so many ways. She's been our friend for years, and she's developed far beyond her original programming."

Master didn't seem to quite understand – neither did he, but then, he never understood this technology stuff – but he watched Nicole with new eyes as she blinked and suddenly light poured from them, bright and clear and red. In the beam a form appeared and wavered translucently before them.

He looked rather like the white figure Snarf had seen, only he wore no clothes but gloves and what Sonic called "shoes." He was scarlet, with purples eyes and a white crescent looping across his chest. But his arms were crossed, and his crooked tail was stiff with fury. "This had _better_ be important, Blue."

Sonic cocked an eyebrow. "Really, Red? What's got your air necklace in a knot?" The red figure had a stance that reminded Snarf of Tygra when he wasn't about to be persuaded on anything.

"An attack on Julie-Su and two drainings of the Master Emerald's power in one day, that's what! I come back from trashing Finitevus' work in Sandopolis to find Julie-Su on the ground like she's been shot-!"

Sally covered her mouth, eyes wide over her fingers. Sonic's tan muzzle had gone white. "She was fine, thank heaven, but she was freaking out and babbling about Finitevus and some bat monster that blasted her into next week when they charged the rings! As if that weren't enough, he already stole energy from the Emerald on his own earlier! The whole island shook this time, he took so much!" Color had returned to Sonic's face, and Knuckles finally paused, fur on end and panting for breath.

"Well…" Sonic said delicately, glancing around the room, "I suppose that answers the question of how you guys got here. Evil echidna doctor plus warp technology."

Knuckles squinted. "How who got where?"

"We got alien cat people. They're about twice our height and have never heard of Chaos Emeralds or Robotnik or anything." The hologram stared; apparently its subject couldn't see into the room. Nicole could form an image of him through his transmitter though, so that was kind of cool. If weird.

"Are they friendly?"

"Sure seem to be. They landed two days ago and they just woke up after being out of it. We think a Warp Ring brought them here, only it was all twisted and creepy and dark. At least, that's what _I_ think. They saw Finitevus before getting pulled in, and a few hours later they saw some dude called 'Mumm-Ra' who's been after them. Apparently they both use the same kind of evil powers; think Doc Gruesome would team up with a guy like that?" Sonic asked. Knuckles buried his chin in one large hand, as if calculating.

"It wouldn't surprise me. If he can shape shift, it was probably him with Finitevus. He wanted to charge up more rings, and when Julie-Su didn't move he blasted her."

Sonic frowned, and Sally spoke up this time. "'More rings?' That sounds bad."

Knuckles snorted. "With all due respect, 'bad' is an understatement. If Finitevus has a ton of superpowered rings, there's no telling what he'll do with them. Julie-Su said Finitevus was talking about finding someone and sending his friend's forces after whoever they were looking for."

Snarf's ears lifted at that. He looked away from the red being to the cats listening intently. "If it was Mumm-Ra, that'll be us he's after. And if he used rings to bring us here and come here himself, he can use them to bring Grune and the others," Cheetara said softly, glancing at Panthro, who interlocked his fingers and set them before his face, calculating.

"You're right. And I'm sure he find us eventually; if he's already bringing in forces, he's a step ahead of the game."

Master might have said, "Like always," but Snarf was never sure afterward. He swished his tail through the air. Master raised his voice a little when he spoke again. "We can't stay here. We'll put you guys in danger. Mumm-Ra destroyed our kingdom, and I don't think he'd mind wiping out a republic to get rid of us."

Sonic scoffed. "As if he could. And danger is something we are well acquainted with. Heck, it probably thinks me and it are going steady and talking engagement. Point is, you guys are in no condition to fight right now. You have no route home, unless you've got some kind of dimension-warping device. And you've got no friends other than us, alien cat people."

Snarf thought this all made a lot of sense. Tygra was listening with his head tilted, and Snarf recognized him weighing his options. Master looked uncomfortable. "We don't have any way to repay you for your help as it is. The least we can do is make sure Mumm-Ra doesn't attack. He wiped out all of Thundera in one attack – he's not somebody to take lightly."

A faint laugh attracted their attention. Knuckles had chuckled. "The day Sonic doesn't take something with some banter is the day he's cracked and about to kill someone. Whoever you are, we can handle whatever this nut throws. He's already made an enemy of me by attacking Julie-Su and teaming up with Finitevus. If you're against him too, you're friends in my book."

Sonic wiped an imaginary tear. "So much love in this room. My heart's touched. Red, why don't you guard the Emerald for a while and let Julie-Su and the others go hog wild in Sandopolis. You've got a better chance of beating the snot out of this dude, since he and Finitevus will probably end up using the Emerald to charge more rings later. Funny thing, villains are predictable like that."

"Fine. If we hear anything we'll let you know. Be on your guard."

"Always." The hologram faded and Nicole blinked, eyes returning to normal and suddenly looking less ethereal. She looked around again at the stuffed room.

"If they are going to be staying with us for some time, shall I convert the infirmary into something more livable?" she asked. Sonic shrugged and looked at Sally, who waved her on. "All right. Don't be afraid, everyone, this will only take a minute."

Kat watched as her paws glowed green, looking around in fascination. "What will?"

Snarf shrieked; the floor under him moved, warping like mud, and he jumped onto the bed and into Master's lap next to Kit. "Earthquake! Mudslide! Quicksand! ZOMBIES! AGHHHH!"

"Nanites," Sonic said helpfully. He didn't appear at all perturbed as the ground shimmied and swirled under his feet, nor when the walls suddenly began to draw away from them and shift in color. Kit had her arms around Master's neck, eyes huge, and Master looked somewhere between amazed and freaked out, standing up in a hurry and lifting Kit with him, Snarf himself clutched against his side. Cheetara jumped away from the wall and Panthro shifted to get away from it. Kat hopped up and held on to Tygra, head swiveling from side to side like a top.

Only Tygra watched as if unaffected. Everything was lengthening and heightening, and after about a minute of looking like mush, the walls and floor and ceiling all realigned and settled into ordinary forms. Nicole looked around and beamed. "I think it looks nice."

The kittens, Panthro, and Master were all gaping; what had previously been a small infirmary room had morphed into what looked like a sitting room with red walls and smooth floors. It was three times as big as the little rooms they'd been put in for recovery, and the door at the front was metal, windows open to the air and sunlight. As they watched, Nicole put a paw to her chin, debating mentally. "Hm. White furniture would go well, but it gets stained easily. And fur shows up on it. Hm…"

Snarf yowled again when two small, dark, kitten-sized armchairs appeared next to him. Smacking it with his tail, he bawled, "How is she doing that!"

"Nanites. The teeny-tiny robots. Our whole city is built up of them," Sonic explained, grinning when Kat unglued himself from Tygra to poke the plush chair.

"As I am berated for constantly," Nicole said lowly. She snapped her fingers and a matching sofa appeared, making Panthro jump. "Would you prefer individual chairs or another couch?"

"Neither. Thank you for the offer, but we're not staying." Tygra's voice was not cold, but neither was it warm. The gratitude was sincere, but Sonic looked up at him, stance obstinate.

"What part of me and danger dating and you guys being stuck did you not get?" Tygra looked down at him and Snarf had to admire Sonic for standing his ground; Tygra could be imposing, unlike his own lovable master.

"What part of Mumm-Ra being _our _problem are you not getting? Besides, if what you say is true, all we have to do is find a Warp Ring or whatever it is and use it to go home. There are problems there, and if we stay here there's no one at home to stop Mumm-Ra from wreaking havoc," he added pointedly.

"Is going back immediately such a good idea?" Master asked. He let Kit down, as she too wanted to observe the chair made from tiny robots that looked soft and comfortable. "It sounds like Mumm-Ra is here. Would he follow us back, or would he just try to drag us back to Mobius? If he did it once, I guess he can do it again. Not sure why he'd want us here, unless it's just to keep us from finding the stones."

Tygra gave Master a long look. "What do you recommend then?" he asked. Snarf bristled defensively at the nearly silent scorn. Master heard it as well and his ears dipped back, though whether it was in anger or hurt was hard to tell.

"I don't know. It would be great if we could leave right in front of Mumm-Ra so he would more inclined to follow us home and leave these guys alone. But we need a Warp Ring for that."

"It might help if you guys knew exactly how far you were from your planet. It sounds it would take a lot of energy to get back to it," Sally said. She'd said little throughout the discussion, but listened a great deal. Now she stood up and the chair she'd been sitting on vanished as Nicole fiddled with the nanites. "Whatever you may think of us, we assure you that we are very capable of defending ourselves against magic or technology. And the Republic of Acorn – and therefore the Freedom Fighters, as we call ourselves – has always stood against evil, whoever is committing it. If we can help you, we will. Besides, Finitevus has no love for us; he'll probably try to convince this Mumm-Ra to help him destroy us while he's trying to destroy you. For the time being, I think it only sensible that you stay with us and we assist each other in fending off these foes. We'll see what we can do about a Warp Ring home."

Sonic applauded and Sally gave him a look. "Careful Sal, your princess is showing."

"And what exactly are we supposed to do while we're here?" Cheetara spoke again, looking around the room. "Thundercats don't accept charity without being able to repay in some way."

Sonic scratched his head, ruffling his spines. "I dunno, whatever you want. We can always use help around the village, and scouts watching out for danger. And they're trying to rebuild Angel Island and the dingo settlements, so we're kind of short around here. Just don't sweat it, we'll figure something out."

Yes, Snarf decided he liked Sonic very much. He didn't seem to let anything faze him, and with such a cool head he was strangely calming. Tygra appeared reluctant – then again, he never trusted people as fast as Master did, though whether that was a flaw or not was questionable – but Master looked kind of happy. "Hey, if you guys want your weapons back, we'll return them."

"There'll be time for swinging around swords and sticks later," said a scolding voice. Miss Rosie had returned, and she had a basked under one arm and some sort of teapot in her other paw. Under the arm rest some clean, fluffy blankets. "Right now I've hot cocoa and mugs, and they haven't eaten yet. Shame on the doctor for not remembering that!"

"Ma'am, we need to get our weapons immediately. One of them is our only real defense against Mumm-Ra, and I'm surprised getting it back hasn't been more of an issue until now," Panthro said, giving Master a look. Master looked uncomfortable again, face reddening, and Snarf felt his fur puffing out, still under the protective arm against the lion's side.

"I did ask about them. Arguing with the people who saved our lives seemed unwise." Panthro shook his head and Snarf snorted.

"Everybody's always ragging on Master. I'm sick and tired of it. Big meanies." Sonic looked at him questioningly, but didn't respond to the statement.

"I'll go get them for you. Miss Rosie won't let you leave until you eat something." Sonic grinned when Panthro growled.

"I'll go with you. No offense, but our weapons are like extra limbs." But before he could move toward the hedgehog, Miss Rosie stepped in front of him, paws on her hips.

"Young man, you will plant your tail. You've been unconscious for two days and you're not moving until you get something in your stomach." It was a funny thing, the little woodchuck looking directly up at Panthro and shaking a finger at him when she was less than half his height. "You ought to know better with all those scars! You look like somebody who gets himself hurt quite often, and I'm not standing for it! When's the last time you ate a meal that had all your basic food groups?" Panthro was speechless, staring down at the tiny woman. Snarf got the feeling he didn't get chewed out much.

Master covered his mouth with a paw and Snarf was pleased to see him stifle laughter. But Rosie turned to him with a single finger raised in his direction as well. "And you! You look like you haven't been eating right for a month! Keep it up and your fur will grow in dull! I can see your ribs under your fur, all of you. That means you!" she added as Tygra's irises rolled. Sally buried her face in her hands in embarrassment as each of the cats got a word in turn. "And young cheetah, you're skin and bones. I know being thin is all the rage now, dearie, but I can see your hip bones all too well – and heaven only knows these kittens need nutrition so they don't stunt their growth."

"You won't hear me complaining," Kat stated, catching the smell of the strange beverage the woman was calling cocoa. Snarf had never smelled anything like it, but it too was likely delicious if that rich, deep, sugary odor was anything to judge by. The kitten was still prodding and plucking at the chair. "This is made of robots? Cool…"

Sonic used the opportunity to slip out the door. "I'll get the weapons. Make a mug for Snarf. He'd like to try it too I'll bet." He grinned and bounded away, door sliding shut after him.

Oh yes, this hedgehog was a really nice guy. Master seemed to agree.

* * *

><p>Hope barged in, door clanging, sending out a painful noise around the room. "I got it! I GOT IT!"<p>

Shadow didn't immediately look up. "I need a screwdriver. If you've got one on you, that would be perfect."

Omega was sitting in front of the hedgehog in the middle of the training room, and he turned his head to face the blond girl as she fished in the pouch of the belt around her waist. "What size?"

"Three-quarters. Omega's arm is a little loose." Disregarding every safety rule ever, she tossed it to him as he examined the limb(1). Shadow caught it without looking and began twisting it against the loose bolt in Omega's elbow.

"To date, Shadow is the only one who has hit me hard enough to jar my hull. What were you saying, Hope?" It kind of weird how the robot acted so very human sometimes. Sure, he kind of had a one-track mind, but then so did Shadow. Hope blinked, trying to remember her news.

"Oh! Remember that weird energy signature a couple days ago? You know, where you wanted to go check it out and Commander Towers said no, not without the proper notifications and the secretary was off that day so we couldn't file them and I couldn't get the papers done because Shadow doesn't bother remembering his unit ID so I had to go look it up in the computer system and Rouge said it was her day off too and she wasn't going to check on anything like that unless there was a gem behind it and then you needed to recalibrate-"

"Hope." Shadow finished with the bolt and trotted to her, giving her back the screwdriver. "Yes, we remember it. And?"

She grinned, realizing she still had a little oil on her face from where she'd been working on a G.U.N. patrol bot. "I got clearance! Team Dark can go on its next mission!"

Shadow rarely smiled or showed any indication of happiness. But there was no way to describe his face other than pleased, and Omega got to his feet immediately, raising his clawed hands into the air. "Huzzah! Another chance to use my upgraded blaster!" Hope crossed her arms in a very satisfied fashion.

"You guys have been cooped up here for almost a month since that whole weird emerald hunt didn't work out. I don't think the training rooms can take it anymore," she added meekly, peeping around the room and noticing all the new claw and skid marks on the walls and floor from where the two had been sparring. The last mission's non-success – never call it failure unless you were asking Rouge to pound you – had been nonverbally punished. "Oh, and guess what? I even convinced Commander Towers to let you take an emerald, Shadow, in case of emergency. Just don't lose it or my goose is cooked."

This time he _did_ smile, when made his eyes look a lot warmer. It was always a treat to see him actually show a sign of joy, and Hope nearly skipped to Omega, tugging at his robotic arm. "Come on, Rouge is meeting us in briefing room four." The robot followed her peaceably, Shadow darting ahead with smooth, swift steps.

Rouge did indeed meet them in the briefing room, looking slick and well-groomed as ever. "Hey Hope, Omega. You look happy, handsome. I guess you heard you're getting an emerald on this mission." Of the three, Hope wasn't sure whether she liked Omega or Rouge less. She liked Shadow best, of course, but Omega scared her when he was fighting and talking about destroying things. But Rouge…Rouge had this weird talent for knowing things she shouldn't, and while she could be nice she had a tendency to dig into the most painful part of a person's heart and twist it to her advantage. And she didn't like the idea of Rouge trying to hook up with Shadow. She had a thing for an echidna, but she was always flirting with Shadow. True, he'd never really paid any attention, but he was her friend, and Hope knew he'd been through some hard things in the past. The last thing she wanted was for him to actually start to like Rouge as more than a friend and then get hurt.

She never quite gotten the courage to ask very much about this illustrious Maria that Shadow had thought she was last year. All she knew was that Shadow carried her memory like Rouge would carry a diamond.

Abraham Tower stood at the front of the room, in front of several fold out chairs. Other than a map pinned to the wall and the green Chaos Emerald resting on a desk behind him, the room was stark and empty, shadowy in the corners where the lights were off to save energy. "Good morning, Team Dark. Have a seat."

She sat down and Shadow seated himself next to her, crossing arms as he was wont to do. Rouge rested herself next to him, shoulder brushing his. Omega squashed himself into the chair on the end. "I trust Hope told you about the energy signature two days ago, didn't she?"

Hope tried not to blush. She'd been a little excitable, it being her first day watching G.U.N.'s scanners. When the meter started blipping she'd yelped in surprise and honed in, examining the energy measurements. Similar to Warp Ring technology on the Floating Island, she'd been unable to label the strange way it shifted and swelled before dipping out of existence. It didn't work like Chaos Energy, either.

It was creepy. Something was wrong with it. It had made her mad as a hornet when the other soldiers brushed it off as some Chaos Energy when she knew it wasn't. If they'd thought Robotnik was behind it they would have been down there in half an hour, tops. At least Team Dark was heading out now.

If Commander Towers ever stopped talking about protocol and what not.

"We've received no calls for aid from New Mobotropolis, but given what happened recently with the Iron Dominion it doesn't seem like overkill to send in one of our top teams to check on the area." Hope would have snorted if it wouldn't have been so rude. The whole fiasco with the Iron Queen and the Four Clans had gone over in complete silence, and only now that Sonic and the others had saved the day did they know what had happened. It made her a little sick when she first found out; how many times had she sworn she would protect the Mobians who had looked after her for so long and so kindly and failed? How many times had she been on the sidelines and let them get hurt?

Shadow glanced at her, as if he knew what she was thinking. She blinked a little hard and kept her gaze fixed ahead. Whatever it was, Team Dark could handle it. She just hoped two days wasn't too long. G.U.N. was stretched thin, but if the Mobians needed help, she wanted to give it this time.

"It's a reconnaissance mission, though I'm obviously permitting you to use force if something's amiss. The emerald is to be protected at all costs." At this the Commander picked up the gem and handed it to Shadow. Rouge's eyes followed it for a mere second before returning them to the Commander.

"Anything else we should do while we're down there? I have a hard time believing this is just a friendly check-up call."

Commander Tower gazed at her before closing his mismatched eyes. "Unfortunately, you are correct. There are other reasons I want you to scout out the area." He turned then to the map pinned to the board. It was hand drawn, a rough sketch of the Republic of Acorn and its surrounding areas. "We've been informed that there may more Chaos Emeralds within the boundaries of the Republic. If they are under the control of the royal family, that's all well and good. But Rouge, you for one know there are less savory characters in the area who also control emeralds." She smiled.

"Mammoth Mogul. And the violet emerald was stolen by Geoffrey St. John, I hear. Are we to see if we can recover it if the opportunity arises?" The Commander didn't quite answer but gestured to the map once.

"The emeralds were last spotted in these areas. This map was not printed off the computers because we don't want to risk this information getting leaked. No civilian life is to be endangered; if there are chances to get the gems, good. If not, check up on the Republic and get out safely. I expect reports from each of you," he added sternly, eying Shadow in particular. The hedgehog had a tendency to let Rouge handle the paperwork, but he was good enough at what he did that nobody usually cared. Still, after that last venture after a Sol Emerald – whatever it was – they wanted better data. Rouge's report had been terse and odd, and left a lot out.

The hedgehog shrugged a shoulder, idly looking over the emerald. It made his eyes glow green. "When do we set out?"

"Immediately. If you notice anything odd, report it immediately. Hope will be on the scanners watching for any more aberrations in the area." Commander Tower turned to Omega. "You behave. No firing unless given express permission or one of your teammates is in dire peril."

Omega glowered, crossing his arms much like Shadow had. "Killjoy."

* * *

><p>"It's getting extremely crowded in this compound."<p>

Grune knew better than to complain too much about that lack of space, but he couldn't help but speak up; more and more lizards were pouring through the golden rings, and sometimes he wasn't sure if Mumm-Ra remembered little things like legroom. For all his cleverness, he forgot things like that.

Another lizard scrambled through the ring and it finally sputtered and closed. The white echidna straightened his glasses, opening a palm to catch the ring as it shrank. "That everyone?"

"Both squads. Have you figured out where they might be yet?" Grune asked. He let a paw rest on his mace as he examined the short being. The milk-white fur was an interesting thing in the dark of the building, and it was easy to catch sight of his baleful yellow eyes. Tails and scales slid around him, and Slithe crushed between two other lizards to reach him.

The doctor was an interesting little fellow. Fear of Mumm-Ra poured off him in a powerful scent, so Grune did not fear betrayal from him.

"No. Mobius has many countries and people, and they won't stand out too much. Of course, they may already be dead depending on whom they've met."

"One can only hope." Slithe hissed as one of the other lizards trod on his tail, backhanding the unfortunate klutz. "We'll send out our forces to find them, and you will spy through your rings here. Or so says Mumm-Ra. Though I don't quite trust you, pale one."

Grune looked around at the swaying, shifting heads, ignoring Slithe. He'd always been a pompous bag of wind, and he was interested by the fact that the echidna – Finitevus, was it? – seemed to agree with his personal sentiment, if his irritable stance was any indication. He merely pushed his glasses a little closer to his eyes, and slid another of those bizarre rings from his sleeve. "Understandable, but it doesn't matter, does it? Orders are orders. Take a ring with you. Envision this place again and it will be able to warp you."

Slithe narrowed his eyes at the thing suspiciously before extending his claws and accepting it as if it were some greasy item. "Very well." He whistled, beckoning to five of the surrounding lizards, who bundled around him uneasily. "Where will it take us?"

Finitevus touched the ring and it began to glow. "A place southwest of the Badlands. It should let you out on the border of what is called the Great Forest. Be careful; I warned you about the blue hedgehog and the city he lives in south of the forest. Hope your enemies haven't found them, as they are powerful and would no doubt aid them."

Slithe scoffed. "We will report back if we find anything. Let us know if the cats are found." The ring opened, glowing bright and beautiful as the other lizard backed away to let Slithe through with the other lizards in tow. When the last tail was through the portal shut and the ring vanished. Grune let out a breath.

"He's the most irritating creature you'll ever meet." Finitevus nodded.

"Quite. If he trusts me so little why did he agree to go through?"

"Because if Mumm-Ra speaks, everyone sits up and listens, even you." Grune noticed that the shorter figure was looking at him as if he were some new organism. "Though it's worth asking why you called him here."

"It was unintentional, I assure you. I only wanted to look into another world, and your foes the cats were first beings I saw." The golden irises were slits behind the dark eyelids. "You are a cat, are you not? Yet you work with lizards.I've seen no other cats work with them. Are you a traitor of some kind?"

Grune smiled, feeling his lip curve around his remaining saber tooth. "Power is a seductive lure. You'd know that, wouldn't you?" Finitevus' mouth crooked.

"I suppose. I'm not one to talk anyway. I hate the other echidnas. All their factions and hypocrisy." The echidna tugged his cloak around himself a little tighter to avoid the clumsy lizard feet as they ambled about, waiting for more orders from Mumm-Ra as he stalked around the other side of the dingy black room. "I'll admit your kind fascinate me. You're the size of the Overlanders but you have the hair of the animals, the Mobians. I'd like to study the others if they can be captured alive."

Grune felt laughter in the back of his throat. "The way the lizards are, you'll be lucky to get a corpse. Slithe has had roasted cat before, and he likes it. Little barbarian. I'll see about saving you a lion skin to analyze, doctor."

He didn't see Finitevus' face contort in disgust, or hear the uneasy way his voice lowered as he said, "How very generous."

* * *

><p>1 – Don't throw screwdrivers, kids. Even if it's at a hedgehog with lightning reflexes.<p> 


End file.
